MadSci Network: Chemistry
Query:

Subject: Why is sugar glass with ions (salt) in it milky?

Date: Thu Apr 15 06:57:39 2010
Posted by Julian Krick
Grade level: undergrad School: RWTH Aachen
City: Aachen State/Province: NRW Country: Germany
Area of science: Chemistry
ID: 1271339859.Ch
Message:

Hey,
at first thanks for investing your time!
I take a supersaturated sucrose solution, heat it up (water evaporates) and let
it cool down, which results in a solid, amorph mass.
When I use distilled water it is completely clear, but when I use water from the
tap (or distilled water with table salt in it) it gets all milky.
When adding cream or tartar (potassium bitartrate) it's not milky at all,
despite the potassium ion.
Maybe when the mass is cooling down, all the water is trapped between some sugar
molekules and the big Cl- is not solved in it anymore.
Or the Cl- acts as crystallization seed. Or we have small areas with Cl- in it
and some without, which results in light scattering through to different optical
density.
So which is it?

Thanks already!
Julian


Re: Why is sugar glass with ions (salt) in it milky?

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