|
Sticks
with coloured rock candies
|
Concentrated
coloured solutions of 6 sugars
|
Candies after crystallisation
|
Candy
as core for sugar crystallisation
|
W17
Rock
candy from fifferent samples of household sugar
Candied
sugar has its origins in India and Persia. Arabic writers in the first half
of the 9th century described the production of candy sugar. Crystals were grown
as a result of cooling supersaturated sugar solutions. In order to accelerate
crystallization, confectioners later learned to immerse small twigs in the solution
for the crystals to grow on.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_candy).
In an earlier
experiment sugar crystals were grown on the surface of a single rock candy
dipping into a syrup made by cooking juice from sugar canes (Photo
4 and 5).
Now you will dissolve different samples of household sugar in distilled water
containing a tiny quantity of food dye. After transferring to blisters the samples
are observed during the coming weeks.
Material
Blister, 6 broad ampoules
with stoppers, small can and candle burner (Photo
left),
Insulin syringe (1 ml), Drinking straw spatula, food dye (Cochenille red A E124,
Azorubin E122), distilled water, different types of household sugar (sugar powder,
brown sugar, rock candies...).
Experiment
1.
Half fill the ampoules with sugar samples
2. From one of the ampoules add 1 ml of water mixed with a trace of food dye.
Close and shake vigorously.
3. Collect the ampoules in a can and heat them on the candle burner.
4. Check whether the sugars are completely dissolved..
5. If some solid remains, add drops of water and go on heating. If the sugar
is completely dissolved remove the stopper and go on heating.
6. Distrbute the hot solutions on the blisters (Photo
2).
7. When the content of the blister is completely solid (Photo
3), press
it out.
Observation
No difference between
the samples in the blisters.
Explanation
All samples of household sugar consist of the same
particles. Therefore they separate as crystals of the same shape.