Resumen de Carbohydrate Dehydration Demonstrations

David A. Dolson, Rubin Battino, Trevor M. Letcher, K. H. Pegel, N. Revaprasadu

• The "charring reaction" of a carbohydrate with concentrated H2SO4 is a demonstration of the dehydrating power of H2SO4. In this paper several sugars and supermarket carbohydrates are systematically studied with respect to size of particles, addition of water, and amount of H2SO4 added. The results are tabulated as to the amount of time to blackening and to the attainment of a particular volume of the charred material. Detailed safety precautions are included.