DEHYDRATION OF SUGAR

LAWRENCE S. MANALO &

KIMBERLY JOSEPHINE A. MACATANGAY

INTRODUCTION

A few years ago, there was a sulfuric acid spill. By the name, you could tell that
this couldn't be good. But to the general public, they don't understand the importance of
how dangerous a sulfuric acid spill really is. Well, what is sulfuric acid? Sulfuric acid is
harmful to the environment and everything around it. It is a colorless and is very reactive
chemical.
Sulfuric acid creates a black tar when mixed with water. So, why use powdered
sugar for our experiment if it’s not water? Well, Powdered sugar has little molecules of
water in it, eleven to be exact. This acid has risks and hazards that you should be aware
of too. Sulfuric acid causes severe irritation to eyes and skin. Sniffing the sulfuric acid
can cause nose, throat, and lung irritation with coughing and shortness of breath. It can
also cause the dreaded nausea and vomiting. Sulfuric acid is also VERY carcinogenic.
It not only hurts people, but it also does damage to people's cars and animals.

OBJECTIVE

This experiment aims to determine the product of C12H22O11 (sugar) + H2SO4

(sulfuric acid).

MATERIAL

Glass Beaker
Stirrer
Powdered Sugar
Sulfuric Acid
Gloves
Goggles

PROCEDURE
 Wear googles and gloves for protection. Put sugar into 300 mL beaker. Add 70
mL of sulfuric acid to the sugar and stir briefly. Stand about 1 - 2 meters away and wait
for reaction to begin and column to grow.

ILLUSTRATION

CONCLUSION

Sugar is a carbohydrate, so when you remove the water from the molecule, it is
left with elemental carbon. The dehydration reaction is a type of elimination reaction.
C12H22O11 (sugar) + H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) → 12 C (carbon) + 11 H2O (water) +
mixture water and acid
Although the sugar is dehydrated, the water isn't 'lost' in the reaction. Some of it
remains as a liquid in the acid. Since the reaction is exothermic, much of the water is
boiled off as steam.
The sulfuric acid removes water from the sugar in a highly exothermic reaction,
releasing heat, steam, and sulfur oxide fumes. Aside from the sulfurous odor, the
reaction smells a lot like caramel. The white sugar turns into a black carbonized tube
that pushes itself out of the beaker.