A homemade rocket

[MCTech]

Well , so I was thinking of this after watching a video about homemade rocket .

Why did potassium nitrate (KNO3) and sugar makes a homemade rocket propels . I know potassium nitrate can be used as rocket propellent , but what does the sugar does ?

[SunJumper]

Well , so I was thinking of this after watching a video about homemade rocket .

Why did potassium nitrate (KNO3) and sugar makes a homemade rocket propels . I know potassium nitrate can be used as rocket propellent , but what does the sugar does ?

Hmm, I don't KNO

Anyway, I think the sugar is just a cheap solid fuel. The oxygen in a molecule of glucose (yeah, they probably used sucrose), is only 40% of the neccessary amount to oxidise it. So it won't be monopropellant.

The KNO3 is probably a really good oxidiser (better than oxygen, but don't quote me on this).

[ProjectXMark1]

Sugars are what your body, and pretty much any living thing, burns to gain energy. Sucrose and glucose react very quickly with the KNO3 oxidiser, that's why pure sugar gives you energy for a short period of time: you are essentially using several - more controlled - sugar rockets to power your body (starchy things get oxidised at a slower rate, which is why you get energy for longer).

[Kodos666]

Well, Sugar is cheap, easily obtainable and more importantly melts at fairly low temperatures, so you could 'dissolve' your oxidizer (KNO3, or KClO3, which is as far as I know the traditional chemical for oxidizing sugar) in the molten sugar and pour a solid booster. Plus it contains a high amount of energy as well as some amount of oxygen.