Why Do 'Pop Rocks' Pop?

Science & Food
By Eunice Liu
Sep 2, 2014 7:00 PMNov 20, 2019 1:14 AM
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Photo Credit: Jamie (jamiesrabbits/Flickr) Some might say one of life's little pleasures is eating candy. Those who have tried Pop Rocks, however, know that its sugary glory and dare-devilish allure warrant an entirely new adventure. Although it appears harmless, a handful of Pop Rocks candy will set off a fizzy explosion of sugar crystals and popping noises in your mouth. But no remorse is needed; Pop Rocks aren't actually dangerous. (Mythbusters proves your stomach won't explode.) How are Pop Rocks made? Pop Rocks were developed by scientist William A. Mitchell in 1956 with a technique patented in 1961 to create a revolutionary confection which “enclos[es] a gas within a solid matrix” [1, 2]. Essentially, Pop Rocks is made of a typical hard candy sugar solution (sucrose, lactose, corn syrup and flavoring) with the addition of one important ingredient:

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