Rocket Fuel: Sorbitol C₆H₁₄O₆

Sorbitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol which is used as a substitute for sugar in nitrate/sugar or candy rocket propellant.  The ratio is usually 65/35, oxidizer/fuel.  Sorbitol was introduced to candy rocketry because it cures (gets hard and brittle) much slower than sugar.  With a curing time of 3-5 days¹, the propellant can be molded at low temperatures, lowering the risk of skin burns and catastrophic grain boundaries.

Advantages:

• Inexpensive fuel
• Easily melted, making it a good fuel for casting/re-crystallizing
• Longer, cooler malleable time compared to sugar fuel
• Non-toxic, Non-poisonous (it's in our food!)
• Environmentally friendly

Disadvantages:

• Low energy compared to other organic fuels
• Harder to find than sugar fuel

Cautions:

See Sorbital MSDS

Other Interesting Uses:

Sorbitol is used as an artificial sweetener and in many hygienic products.

1. Nakka Rocketry, Sorbitol Propellant, 10/13/2009