Screaming jelly babies

"Screaming jelly babies" is a chemistry demonstration which is practised in schools in the United Kingdom. It is often used at open evenings to demonstrate the more light-hearted side of secondary school science.

Additional recommended knowledge

Daily Sensitivity Test

Don't let static charges disrupt your weighing accuracy

Weighing the right way

The experiment shows the amount of energy there is in a "jelly baby". Potassium chlorate is a very strong oxidizing agent that oxidizes the sugar in the jelly baby all at once.

When the experiment is performed, the jelly baby bursts into flames and makes a screaming sound. The smell of candy floss is also given off.