Gummy Bear + Potassium Chlorate = Fiery Candy Death

So the St. Albans Science Department put up a video showing what happens when a gummy bear is dropped into a test tube containing molten potassium chlorate (KClO₃). The "Science Department" (quite possibly a "Mad Science Department," if you ask me) explains the result like so:

Molten potassium chlorate is a strong oxidizing agent that reacts violently with sugar. Gummy bears have lots of sugar in them.

Here's the video:

After the jump, a similar experiment shows a closeup of the poor gummy bear's last moments. It looks hot in there.

(Via Coudal Partners)