Chemistry for Everyone
Concentration Scales for Sugar Solutions
David W. Ball
Department of Chemistry, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115; d.ball@csuohio.edu
In the chemistry laboratory, concentrations of solutions
are expressed in a variety of common units. Molarity (moles
of solute per liter of solution) is probably the most common,
and much of the chemical and physical behavior of solutions
is (technically erroneously, in some cases) tied to molarity.
Molality (moles of solute per kilogram of solvent) is also com-
mon, in part because it is temperature-independent and be-
cause the molarity and molality of aqueous solutions is
numerically similar for dilute solutions. Normality (number
of equivalents per liter of solution), parts per million/billion/
trillion, and a variety of percentage composition are also com-
mon (1).
There are several industries that depend on solutions
where some sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.) is the ma-
jor solute. Several that come to mind immediately are the
production of alcoholic beverages, especially beer and wine
(2), maple syrup production (3), honey production (4), and
corn syrup production. In the production of certain alcoholic
beverages, the sugar concentration of the initial solution af-
fects the final alcohol content after fermentation. In the pro-
duction of maple syrup, a dilute solution of sugars (the maple
sap) is concentrated until a certain concentration of sugar is
reached. In honey production, bees collect nectar, a relatively
dilute solution of sugar and other components and evapo-
rate it until a certain concentration of sugars is reached, at
which point the honeycomb is capped over and the honey is
stored until eaten by the bees or harvested by a beekeeper
for human consumption. In the first two industries, human
measurement and intervention is crucial to making the proper
product; in the case of honey production, we the human con-
sumers depend on the bees’ ability to manage the sugar con-
centration of the end product.
Given the importance of sugar concentrations in these
industries, it may not be surprising to learn that there are
several concentration scales that are commonly used to ex-
press the sugar content of solutions. (The identity of the
sugar(s) is irrelevant to these scales, although there are un-
doubtedly minor variations owing to the specific type of
sugar.) Anyone who works in these industries will doubtless
have to be familiar with them; home brewers of beer and
wine, amateur apiarists, even people with their own
sugarbushes who collect sap to boil down into maple syrup
will probably work with these concentration units. Here, we
introduce and review several of the more popular units.
Degrees Brix
In the 19th century, German scientist Adolf F. Brix
(1798–1870) developed a hydrometer scale to directly mea-
sure the percent sugar and other dissolved solids in solutions.
The scale, which is numerically equal to the percent sugar
and other dissolved solids in the solution, is now known as
the Brix scale, or degrees Brix (abbreviated
Bx). In many
cases it is assumed that all of the dissolved solute is sugar.
Thus, a solution that is 25 degrees Brix has 25 g of sugar
www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 83 No. 10 October 2006
(and other solutes) and 75 g of water per 100 g of solution.
The Brix scale is probably the most common scale used in
beer- and winemaking, because the degrees Brix of the ini-
tial juice or must (the industry term for the initial mixture
that, after it is fermented, becomes wine or beer) can be di-
rectly related to the alcohol content of the final fermented
product, assuming that the dissolved solutes are all sugar. A
rule of thumb is that the alcohol content of the fermented
product will be about 0.55 times the degrees Brix of the start-
ing solution. Beer brewers will adjust the sugar content of
the unfermented beer so the final alcohol content of the fin-
ished beer is the desired percentage (typically 5–7%). Using
the rule of thumb from above, the initial must should be
about 9–13
Bx.
Grape growers are constantly measuring the degrees Brix
of the juice of the ripening grape, as it is one indicator of the
proper time for harvesting grapes for crushing. The desired

Bx value of harvested grapes depends on the type of grape
and style of wine being produced, but 17–25
Bx is a com-
mon range. It is not unusual to see the
Bx of the original
grape juice printed on a wine bottle label (2).
In maple syrup production, maple sap that is 1–2% sugar
is boiled down by a factor of 40–50 to make a solution that
is about 66–67
Bx. At concentrations lower than that, the
syrup can sour over time, while at concentrations higher than
that, there is the potential for the sugars to crystallize out of
solution (3).
Honey has a concentration of about 80
Bx. (The sug-
ars in honey are different from the sugars in maple syrup,
which is why the two solutions can be unsaturated at differ-
ent concentrations. The sugars in honey do tend to crystal-
lize out of solution over time, however; see ref 4.) The juice
concentrate industry also uses the Brix scale; concentrated
fruit juices are generally expected to be at least 42
Bx, some-
times much higher.
The Brix scale is a corrected version of an earlier scale
of sugar content, the Balling scale, introduced by German
chemist Karl Balling in 1843. The Balling scale is based on
percent sucrose; 1 degree Balling equals 1% sucrose. Balling’s
original tables contained a numerical error that was corrected
by a German scientist named Plato and, later, Brix. Essen-
tially, the three scales are the same but are used in different
regions of the world. European continental brewers call it
the Plato scale, while the wine, sugar, and juice industries
use Brix.
Degrees Baumé
Another scale used in sugar solutions is the degrees
Baumé (
B or
Bé), developed by French chemist Antoine
Baumé (1728–1804). This scale is a scale of relative density
(that is, specific gravity), as read from a hydrometer invented
by Baumé. There are actually two Baumé scales, one for liq-
uids less dense than water and one for liquids more dense
than water. In the denser scale, a specific gravity of 1.000 is
• Journal of Chemical Education 1489
 Chemistry for Everyone

0.0
Bé and a solution having a specific gravity of 1.842 is Table 1. Concentration of Sugars
66.0
Bé. Thus, every degree Baumé is approximately 0.0128 in Various Food Products
specific gravity units. In the less dense scale, 0.0
Bé is equal Product Concentration
to the specific gravity of a 10.0% solution of NaCl; 60.0
Bé Frozen concentrated 42 °Bx
is a solution whose specific gravity is 0.745. Since the spe- orange juice
cific gravity of a 10.0% NaCl solution is approximately 1.071, Reconstituted orange juice 12 °Bx
(5) in this scale each degree Baumé is approximately 0.00543 Honey 76–78 °Bx, 42.5–43 °Bé
specific gravity units. The Baumé scale may be unique in that Maple syrup 66.5 °Bx, 32 °Bé
not only are two different scales defined for different regions
Corn syrup 43 °Bé
of specific gravity, but the scales go in two different direc-
tions. For liquids denser than water, an increase in
Bé im- Wine must 22–24 °Bx, 11–14 °Bé
(pre-fermentation) (regular table wines)
plies a denser solution, while for liquids less dense than water,
an increase in
Bé means a less dense solution. Beer wort/must 5–14 °Bx, 2.7–7.0 °Bé
(pre-fermentation)
For denser liquids, the conversion between degrees Brix a
and degrees Baumé is approximately German wine system
Kabinett 65–85 °Ö, 17–21 °Bx

Bx = (1.905)
Bé − 1.6 Spätlese 76–95 °Ö, 19–24 °Bx
The Baumé scale does not measure solution concentration Auslese 83–105 °Ö, 20–25 °Bx
directly. However, for solutions (like sugar solutions) that have Beerenauslese 110–128 °Ö, 26–30 °Bx
known concentration–specific gravity relationships,
Bé is a Trockenbeerenauslese >150 °Ö, >35 °Bx
useful scale. Maple syrup, for example, should be about 32 a
Unfermented grape juice has this concentration in these wines.

Bé; honey is usually 42
Bé or higher. The degrees Baumé
of a solution is measured in the same way the degrees Brix is Table 2. Corrections to the °Brix Measurement
measured: either by hydrometer or by refractometer. Refrac- of Maple Syrup as a Function of Temperature
tometers for use with honey or maple syrup can list both Temperature Correction If °Bx Correction If °Bx
scales. of Syrup/°F Is 60.0–69.9 °F Is > 69.9 °F
Although it is rarely introduced in general chemistry 32 1.4 1.5
courses, concentrated solutions of chemicals can have their
35 1.3 1.4
concentrations expressed in degrees Baumé. For example,
40 1.2 1.2
commercial muriatic acid (concentrated aqueous HCl) is typi-
cally sold at a concentration of 20
Bé, to be used for clean- 45 1.0 1.0
ing masonry surfaces such as bricks and the surfaces of 50 0.8 0.8
concrete-lined swimming pools. Ferric chloride etching so- 55 0.5 0.6
lutions are sold as 42
Bé in concentration. Sodium silicate, 60 0.3 0.3
ammonium hydroxide, ammonium nitrate, and sodium hy- 65 0.1 0.1
droxide are other solutes whose solutions are sold in terms 68 0.0 0.0
of their concentrations in degrees Baumé. 70 0.1 0.1
75 0.3 0.3
Other Scales 80 0.5 0.5
There are other sugar concentration scales that are still 85 0.8 0.8
used but have a more regional influence. The degree KMW 90 1.0 1.0
(
KMW) is used in Austria; the KMW stands for 95 1.2 1.2
“Klosterneuburger Mostwaage” (Klosterneuburg must scale). 100 1.5 1.5
One degree KMW is roughly equal to 1 percent sugar by 105 1.7 1.7
weight. The degree Öchsle (“UX-luh”,
Ö or
Oe) is formally 110 1.9 1.9
defined as the first three decimal place of the specific gravity 115 2.2 2.2
of a sugar solution. Thus, a sugar solution that has a specific
120 2.4 2.4
gravity of 1.085 would measure 85
Ö. Roughly, one degree
Öchsle is approximately 0.2% sugar by weight. The degree 125 2.7 2.7
Öchsle is very common in the German and Swiss wine in- 130 3.0 2.9
dustry, with the various classifications of German wines 135 3.2 3.2
(kabinett, spätlese, auslese, etc.) requiring certain minimum 140 3.5 3.4
values of
Ö for the grape juice used to make any particular 145 3.8 3.7
wine. Table 1 lists the concentrations of sugar solutions in a 150 4.1 4.0
variety of units. 155 4.4 4.2
160 4.7 4.5
Other Considerations 165 5.0 4.9
The concentrations of sugar solutions are typically mea- 170 5.5 5.2
sured in two ways. For relatively dilute solutions, special hy- 176 5.9 5.7

1490 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 83 No. 10 October 2006 • www.JCE.DivCHED.org


drometers are available that are calibrated in
Bx,
Bé, or other
scales. They are available at general scientific supply houses
such as Fisher Scientific or Cole–Parmer for less than thirty
U.S. dollars.
Because a hydrometer makes density measurements, the
exact reading in
Bx or
Bé is temperature-dependent. Unless
a solution is measured at the reference temperature (usually
20
C, or 68
F), a correction is necessary to determine an
accurate concentration. Table 2 shows corrections based on
sample temperature. The corrections must be combined with
the
Bx reading from a direct measurement to get the true
°Bx of the solution (3). This particular table uses degrees Fahr-
enheit, which is still the prevalent temperature scale used in
industry in the United States. Many hydrometers have a cor-
rection scale printed on them.
The other common way to measure the concentration
of a sugar solution is by refractive index using a refractome-
ter, much as we measure the refractive index in the teaching
laboratory. Already calibrated in
Bx,
Bé,
Ö, or other scales,
refractometers can be desktop or handheld; the handheld re-
fractometers are more portable and are available for as little
as $75. The refractive index of a sugar solution is also tem-
perature-dependent; refractometers are typically calibrated at
20
C. For measurements taken at other temperatures, a cor-
rection is again necessary. Electronic refractometers can be
programmed with a correction curve, while handheld or other
analog instruments typically come with a calibration chart
that must be consulted while making the necessary adjust-
ments.
www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 83 No. 10 October 2006
Chemistry for Everyone
Summary
Molarity, molality, normality, and other concentration
units that we introduce in lecture courses are not the only
concentration units used in the real world. Certain indus-
tries that focus on some type of sugar solution use concen-
tration scales originally defined for some sugar as a solute or
are based on specific gravity. Thus, in the wine and beer brew-
ing industries, concentrations of pre- and post-fermentation
solutions are commonly expressed in degrees Brix, degrees
Baumé, degrees Öchsle, or some other unit, but never as
molarity! The use of these units illustrates that even very
chemically-oriented industries—for what is beer brewing if
not an exercise in chemistry—use concentration units not
normally found in the classroom.
Literature Cited
1. For a representative text, see Hill, J. W.; Petrucci, R.; McCreary,
T. W.; Perry, S. S. General Chemistry, 4th ed.; Prentice Hall:
Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2005.
2. McGee, H. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the
Kitchen; Scribner: New York, 2004.
3. North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual. The Ohio
State University Extension Bulletin 856, 1996. http://
ohioline.osu.edu/b856/index.html (accessed May 2006).
4. The Hive and the Honeybee; Grout, R. A., Ed.; Dadant & Sons:
Hamilton, IL, 1946.
5. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 82nd ed.; Lide, D.
R., Ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2001.
• Journal of Chemical Education 1491