Turning cotton balls into cotton candy

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4,168
Published 2021-09-03
For a couple years now, I've been wanting to turn cotton balls into edible (and literal) cotton candy. It took me a while to figure out how to do it, but I finally did it!

This is kind of a follow-up to my previous project, where I turned toilet paper into drinkable alcohol (moonshine). In that one, I used an enzyme called cellulase, but that didn't seem to work here. So, instead, I used concentrated sulfuric acid.

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Nile talks about lab safety:    • Chemistry is dangerous.  

Music in credits (Walker by SORRYSINES): soundcloud.com/sorrysines/walker

All Comments (21)
  • @IncredibleMD
    "And hopefully won't poison me." So, anyway, I added 75% pure sulfuric acid.
  • @JoeyKlu
    I would have assumed the Canadian Customs department would be familiar with him by now.
  • @hagendietze9881
    As a German, this is a very interesting and linguistically easy-to-understand channel. keep it up :)
  • @superspies32
    About the color of the glucose, its actually the original color you saw from Sugar crane extraction. In factory they use SO2 gas or H3PO4 and centrifuge to clear the color
  • @samueljele
    "Based on almost nothing, I've decided" is a phrase I'm going to use in my next lab report
  • Someone once told me that NileRed talks like he's about to end every sentence with "but then something went wrong" and now I can't unhear it
  • @jeweledstone
    Dude, you are like a literal modern day alchemist. I wouldn’t be surprised if you somehow turned lead into gold!
  • @jesusruiz6733
    These are the best videos to watch, especially before going to bed
  • @ryanchia8764
    3yr old: Is cotton candy made from cotton? The parent: No it's not. NileRed: You are not going to believe this.
  • @justintr4888
    I love how every step is explained in the tone of someone trying to explain the long chain of events that led to the backyard shed burning down.
  • @ravenlunityc1271
    Listen nile! I make cotton candy for a living and my business started from buying one of these little machines for my kids, i was so hoping you would use an industrial machine because these little toys ones suck in comparison! Your cotton candy would have looked exactly the same as it did here had you used table sugar, hard candies etc! Maybe revisit using your caramelized glucose in a better machine in the future i feel you would have greater success with getting that perfect fluffy thin webbing. Still a super cool video to see tho keep it up man!
  • @silly_goofs
    i would really love to just THINK like Nile for one day. does every object i look at just make me wonder "hmm yeah i could probably turn that into food"
  • @swiftfated
    My favorite thing about this channel is the rigorous and precise methods used such as "I let it run until I thought it looked good" and "completely at random, I chose to let it sit 5 hours."
  • @peekaloo12
    The fact that NileRed is more confident with sulfuric acid than he is with just a regular cotton candy maker is cracking me up
  • @xsalixartz59
    This channel actually somewhat boosts my self-esteem, because there are a few things that I’m able to understand from prior knowledge /gen
  • @user-ui5iv3bk1c
    Now I feel like he could make A LITERAL SHIRT into cotton candy instead of just cotton balls-
  • With no knowledge of chemistry, this makes me feel like a medieval peasant witnessing alchemy.
  • @Jake_2903
    Ladies and gentlemen, the scientific process: "It no longer had a weird smell"
  • Nile, i know you probably won't see this, but, thank you for making these videos and inspiring people all over the world. You are doing amazing work and showing people that chemistry is not just about assignments and exams, rather, it can be extremely interesting and fun. I personally am a student from grade 11 and, inspired by your video, am doing a project on converting cotton balls into sugar. Will keep you posted with updates on the project, Love from India
  • @nikohobbs3336
    So happy that you make your videos very long. Helps keep me interested. Thanks Nile