Sugar is a common food item in the daily diet. According to statistics, its consumption is constantly increasing. There are 60 kilograms per person per year. There is a lot of information about the benefits and harms of sugar. But to understand it, you need to know about the properties of sugar, its use in solid and molten form.
Historical background
Many researchers consider mysterious India to be the birthplace of sugar. It was from there that the name came, which in translation means “grain of sand”. Even the ancient Romans appreciated sugar at its true worth. The product was in great demand. Brown sugar was brought from India. Sugar cane was used to make it. The sale and purchase of the product was carried out with the help of an intermediary, which was Egypt.
Sugar in Russia was first tasted by people of the upper class. He came to our country in the 11-12th century. The first "sugar chamber" was opened by Tsar Peter Alekseevich in the 18th century. Raw materials for its production were brought thenfrom abroad. And only in 1809 the product began to be made from domestic raw materials, using beets instead of cane.
Chemical properties
Sugar is the common name for sucrose, which is part of a group of carbohydrates that give the body energy. It belongs to the group of disaccharides. When exposed to its own enzyme or acid, it breaks down into glucose and fructose. Berries, fruits, fruits and vegetables are rich in sucrose. It has two states: crystalline (more stable) and amorphous. The chemical properties of sugar are:
- he is the most important disaccharide;
- if you heat it with a solution of ammonia, it will not give the effect called "silver mirror";
- if you add copper hydroxide to sucrose and heat it, the red color of copper oxide does not appear;
- if you add a few drops of sulfuric acid to a solution of sucrose and neutralize it with alkali, and then heat it with copper hydroxide, you get a red precipitate.
What is melting?
This is the process by which a solid becomes liquid. If the compound is heated, its temperature will rise and the particles will move faster. As a result, the internal energy of the body increases. When the melting point of sugar and other substances coincides with their temperature when heated, the destruction of the crystal lattice occurs. This means that the bonds between particles decrease, because of this, the interaction energy between them increases.
Molten matter has more internal energy. A small part of the heat of fusion goes to work associated with a change in the volume of the body, which increases for crystalline bodies by about 6%. When crystals melt, their temperature remains constant.
Physical properties
Sucrose dissolves perfectly in water. If its temperature rises, then the solubility also increases. Getting into ethyl alcohol, it does not change its state. But in ethanol, the substance dissolves quickly, but not very much in methanol. The properties of sugar and s alt are different. But both substances have the ability to dissolve in water.
The melting point of sugar is 160 degrees. When it is lowered, sucrose decomposes. Caramel is formed, which is a complex substance with a bitter taste and brown color. The melting point of sugar and other substances is an important physical quantity. As a rule, it is dissolved for the preparation of sweet desserts.
Composition and types of sugar
Sweet substance, part of the group of carbohydrates, contains a small amount of water. It also includes some minerals: calcium, potassium, iron, B vitamins. Sugar is a very high-calorie product. In 100 grams - 387 units. There are many varieties of it:
- Reed. Produced from sugar cane.
- Beetroot. Beets are used for cooking.
- Maple. Made from juicesugar maple native to Canada.
- Grape. The raw material is condensed grape juice.
- Sorgovy. The grain sorghum undergoes special processing to produce sugar.
- Palm (jagre). Palm sap is used in production.
Sugar of any name can be refined (refined from impurities) and unrefined. It is used in the daily diet, cooking, food industry, where the melting point of sugar is of great importance. This property is used in the production of many types of products.
The effect of sucrose on the body
Sweet substance activates the blood flow of the spinal cord and brain. It is impossible to completely refuse sugar, sclerotic changes may occur. Scientists have noticed that in people who consume sugar, plaques on the walls of blood vessels are formed much less frequently. This means that thrombosis may be less likely to occur. In lovers of sweets, joints are less likely to be damaged by arthritis. Sugar has a beneficial effect on the liver and spleen.
With a deficiency of sucrose, a person feels general malaise, apathy, irritability, depression may occur. But its high content is dangerous for the occurrence of candidiasis, periodontal disease, inflammation of the oral cavity, itching of the genital organs, overweight.
Nutritional value of sugar
It is quickly absorbed by the body, restores strength. However, with excessive use, diseases such as caries, diabetes mellitus,obesity. Therefore, there are acceptable norms for the consumption of a sweet product that must be adhered to. For an adult, 80 grams per day is enough.
Sugar is an important food for the diet, as half of the energy that a person expends is replenished by carbohydrates. One third of them is sugar. This is a pleasant sweet product, the physiological value of which is enormous. It excites the nervous system, which sharpens vision and hearing, nourishes the gray matter of the brain, forms protein-carbon compounds, glycogens, and fats.
What are s alts?
They are complex substances. Acid residues and metal atoms are involved in their formation. S alts are ionic compounds. This is a product of the replacement of hydrogen atoms that make up the acid with a metal. S alts come in:
- Average, when all hydrogen atoms are replaced by a metal. These s alts undergo thermal decomposition, hydrolysis. They enter into exchange and redox reactions.
- Acidic - not all hydrogen atoms in the acid are replaced by metal. During thermal decomposition and interaction with alkali, medium s alts are formed.
- Double - the replacement of hydrogen atoms is carried out by two different metals. Interact with alkaline solutions.
- Basic - when incomplete or partial replacement of hydroxyl groups by acidic residues occurs. They undergo thermal decomposition, when interacting with an acid, they form medium s alts.
Bdepending on what properties the cations and anions that make up the substances have, the chemical properties of sugar and s alt are determined. Some of them decompose when calcined, and when interacting with an acid, they form new s alts and acids. In addition, they carry out chemical reactions with bases, metals, and each other.
