Rock Candy Lab Introduction

By: Mai Parewa Pichayamarin 5961225 10/01

Introduction :

What actually is the white powdery thing often added to our food to enhance
sweetness? That white substance is known to us as sugar. Sugar is very common and can be
found everyday in life; from breakfast in rice, cereals or cornflakes to your favorite drinks,
candies and snacks. Without people even realizing, sugar also play a vital role in their diets. It
is noticeable that sugar is almost always added to the food and drinks, either as a major
ingredient or just as condiment for enhancing flavor. In addition, sugar is also the basis of all
carbohydrates. Carbohydrate is composed of long chain of simple sugar (monosaccharide)
joining together (polysaccharide). When carbohydrate is being ingested, the body digest it
and convert into glucose molecules which is the building block of all other sugars. Sucrose is
actually two simpler sugars binding together: fructose and glucose, as an example (The
Science Of Cooking, n.d.). Sucrose, Lactose, Maltose, Fructose and Galactose are all variety
of sugar. These sugar are presented in various food. For instance, lactose is sugar milk and
fructose is the sugar in fruit. The most common sugar that is utilized everyday is sucrose,
typically known as table sugar.
Each kind of sugar do have different properties. What makes them differ is the
arrangement of atoms which resulted as different properties of sugar. Sweetness,
Caramelization, Solubility and Crystallization are all properties of sugar. The property of
solubility and crystallization is very essential in making rock candy and will be mainly
focused on. Solubility is the ability of solute to dissolve in the solvent. The solubility of the
sugars determines their use to a certain extent (The Solubility Of Sugar, n.d.).
Simple sugars are far more soluble than those of complex ones. The hydroxyl groups of
sugars form hydrogen bond with water. Due to this reason, sugar is highly soluble in water.
When the solution is unable to dissolve anymore sugar within a certain temperature, saturated
solution takes place. This is, however, depended upon temperature; solutions will be able to
dissolve more solute in response to the increased in heat. (The Chemistry of Solutions, n.d.).
After applying heat to the saturated solution, supersaturated solution has occurred. When
sugar solution boils, water evaporates and crystals are left behind. This is when the property
of crystallization takes part. As the supersaturated solution cools down, the solid will come
out of the solution and crystal starts to form (Element, Compounds and Mixtures, n.d.).
Crystallization is the process when solid crystal forms from the solution.
In the experiment, supersaturated solution is very crucial in order for sugar to form
rock crystal. The rock crystal will only begin to form when the sugar solution reaches a state
of supersaturated solution (Coucquyt, 2010). First saturated solution must be created. Then
by heating up the solution, more sugar can be dissolved, making the solution even more
saturated and becomes supersaturated solution. This means that the solution can only hold the
sugar when being placed under high temperature. So as the supersaturated solution is left to
cool down, the remaining sugar that can no longer be dissolved comes out of the solution on
to the skewer. The solution then becomes less saturated. The wooden skewer covered with
sugar acts as a seed for the rock crystal to grow on. When the solution becomes less
saturated, the rock crystal will eventually stop growing because there is enough space for the
sugar to settle in the solution. Sugar molecules no longer need to left solution and join the
growing crystal seed. The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate how properties of
sugar links to the concept of growing rock sugar candy as well as in food production in real
life.
 Rock Candy Lab Introduction
By: Mai Parewa Pichayamarin 5961225 10/01
References :

Crystallization of sugar. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://cookingsciencetradition.blogspot.com/2010/12/crystallization-of-sugar.html

Lesson 8: The Chemistry of Solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/env211/lesson8_2.htm

Science of Candy: What is Sugar? | Exploratorium. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar.html

The Solubility Of The Sugars. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://chestofbooks.com/food/science/Experimental-Cookery/The-Solubility-Of-The-
Sugars.html#ixzz4Zg0AaEwr

What is Crystallization?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gcsescience.com/e6-

crystallization.htm