KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM & MINERALS

CHEM 312: Kinetics and Spectroscopy lab

Student Name Salman Mira

Student ID # 201864700

Section # 58

Experiment No. & Title Lab 03

Kinetics of Cane Sugar (Sucrose) Inversion

Instructor Name Muhammad Janjua

Date 7 February 2022

Objectives

1
 1- To determine the rate constant of the hydrolysis of cane sugar

Introduction

Some objects can divert polarized light towards left or towards right. The ones which rotate the

plane of polarized light to the right are called dextro-rotatory, meanwhile the ones rotating the

plane towards the left are laevo-rotatory. This idea is the basis for todays experiment. The

hydroylysis or inversion of can sugar in the presence of hyrdrogen ions (catalyst) is theoretically

a first order reaction example. An aqueous solution of cane sugar is broken down into optically

active components; glucose and fructose, by the presence of H+ ions. The reaction is as follows:

(1)

The rate constant for the reaction (k) can be expressed by the following derivations if the

reaction is assumed to be first order:

(2)

Where t represents the time after the reaction starts, [A]o is the initial concentration of the

reactant and [A]t is the concentration of the reactant at time t.

2
Cane Sugar is dextrorotatory and the mixture of glucose and fructose resulting from the

hydrolysis is levorotatory. So the change in the concentration of the cane sugar due to hydrolysis

will result in a proportional change in the optical rotation. The overall equation that will help us

to determine the rate constant k for this reaction is:

(3)

Where if plotted the graph of the left hand side of the equation against t, will give a straight line

of slope equals the first order rate constant k1.

Experimental procedure

1- We choose a 3% sucrose solution for our group to analyze on. Using a polarimeter, we

determine the degree of rotation for the 3% sucrose solution. The other groups worked on

other concentrations of sucrose solutions so that at the end a graph can be obtained for the

3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% concentrated sucrose solution against their degree of rotation (y-

axis).

2- (Alpha o1) can be found from the slope of the step 1 graph divided by 2, or using the

degree of rotation of the 12% solution as (Alpha o2). We could use either one for our

analysis, what ever significantly minimizes the error associated in the calculations of the

rate constant k.

3- We took 20 ml of 24% sucrose solution and mixed it with 20 ml of 2M HCL. The

mixture was placed in the chiller which was set at 30 C.

3
 4- The degree of rotation for the mixture was analyzed after every 4 minutes up to 40

minutes.

5- We took the mixture from step 3 to a separate water bath set at 70 C for 5-10 minutes,

this was done in order to fine (Alpha infinity).

6- A Graph of f vs time was obtained which has slope of k1. The f is the equal to the left

hand side of the equation (3).

7- After calculating the experimental value of k, we compared it to the literature value and

found the % error.

Data & Calculations

16

14 f(x) = 125 x − 0.100000000000001

12

10
Alpha

0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14
Time

Figure 01: degree of rotation vs time for 3%, 6%, 9% and 12% sucrose solution

From figure 01 above, the slope of the graph is 125, so 125/2 will give us the (Alpha o) we need
which in this case is 62.5

4
 1.5

1
f(x) = 0.0421658293408741 x − 0.667687342020747
R² = 0.962335742606506

0.5
f

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

-0.5

-1
time

Figure 02: variation of degree or rotation vs time of the 24% sucrose solution mixed with
2M HCl (In 30 C chiller) (Alpha infinity = -4.5)

From the slope of figure 2 graph, the k experimental value is obtained. So in this case the slope is

0.0422 so the rate constant is 0.0422/min

Error analysis:

Literature value of rate constant: k = 0.0237/min

Experimental value of rate constant obtained k = 0.0422/min

% error = [0.0422-0.0237/0.0237] x 100 = 78.059 % error

Discussion

5
The experimental value of k was found out to be 0.0422/min which is having a 78% approx.

error difference with respect to the literature value of k. The possible reasons for such large

deviations would be as follows:

1- Error in analyzing the degree of rotation from the polarimeter for the mixture as well as

the 3% sucrose solution by our group and also possibly other groups.

2- Not enough time given to sample to equilibrate with the changing temperatures in the

chiller and the surrounding while analyzing the degree of rotation.

Conclusion

As time passed by, the degree of rotation for the mixture kept decreasing which showed a

inversely proportional relation between (Alpha and time). Using the slope/2 as our Alpha o was

not a good assumption, as it ended giving us approximately 78% error between the literature and

the experimental rate constant k values.

References

- Equations 1,2 and 3 were obtained from the CHEM 312 Lab Manual.