Is Sugar a Pure Substance?
Sugar is a pure substance because its composition is homogeneous throughout. Pure substances can be either elements or compounds. Sugar or sucrose is a compound with the chemical formula C12H22O11.
Compounds consist of two or more elements that have a specific ratio. For sugar, its formula gives the ratio of each of the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Elements are made up of only one type of atom.
Sugar is a carbohydrate and also a disaccharide. Sugar or sucrose is made up of the molecule glucose, which is bonded with a molecule of fructose. Sugar also is found in plants.
The production of sugar involves the harvesting and processing of sugar cane and beet cane. To manufacture sugar, the juice needs to be extracted from the sugarcane. Processing sugar also includes boiling the juice and then removing the syrup to produce raw sugar.
