• One sugar cubes has about 25 calories.sugar cubes image by poGosha from Fotolia.com
  
  Sugar cubes are half-inch cubes made of white sugar. They are a convenient substitute for granulated sugar, and can be picked up by hand and added to a variety of hot liquids. One sugar cube is about the same as 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. These compact forms of sugar can also be used in science projects to determine combustion or if the temperature of water affects how quickly the cube dissolves.
  
  

Incinerate a Sugar Cube

• Lighting a sugar cube on fire will show how using a catalyst can make a sugar cube burn better. Place a sugar cube on a plate. Have a cup of water nearby to put the fire out quickly if necessary. Light the sugar cube with a match. It will soon be evident that the sugar cube will not light without a catalyst, which helps to create a chemical reaction.
  
  Spread a small amount of ash on the cube, and light the cube again. The ash will help the cube catch fire and burn.
  
  

Surface Tension

• This experiment demonstrate how surface tension changes with different items. Fill a bowl with water, and place it on a table or flat surface. Arrange matchsticks in a circle on top of the water. Pick up a sugar cube, and set it in the center of the circle. Continue dipping the cube. Each time the cube hits the water, the match sticks move closer together. This is because the sugar cube is absorbing part of the water and increasing the water's surface tension.
  
  

Temperature and Chemical Reactions

• Determining the connection between temperature and chemical reactions is a simple and quick science fair project that uses sugar cubes. Fill two glasses with water, and take the temperature in both glasses. Record the temperatures on a piece of paper. Drop an Alka-Seltzer tablet in the first glass. Wait for it to dissolve, and measure the water's temperature again. Drop a sugar cube in the second glass. Record how long it takes for the cube to dissolve, and measure the temperature after the cube is dissolved completely.
  
  Repeat the same steps, but start with different water temperatures. Heat the water on the stove or in a microwave. Create a graph showing the results after all the measurements are taken.