Rock Candy Research Paper

Sugar is one of the most addictive substances on earth and it thrives in America. It is said to be more addictive than cigarettes, cocaine and crystal meth. Rock candies are one of the many candies that people all over the world enjoy. Rock candies are created by using water and sugar with a process of heating and cooling. Pretty simple concept on how to create rock candy, but a lot more is involved with the chemical process and the history of rock candy.

Sugar used to be used for medicine before the 18th century when people found out it tasted great aswell. For centuries Rock Candy has been recognized as having marked therapeutic and preservative qualities.1 Now it is used as a sweet treat for kids instead of therapy.
You first boil water and start to slowly stir in sugar, you keep adding sugar while it starts accumulating at the bottom of the container. The sugar will not dissolve, this means your sugar solution is saturated.4 By not using saturated sugar solution it will slow down the crystalizing process of sugar rocks. After you have an adequate amount of sugar in the container, pour the solution in a separate glass jar and place it in a refrigerator. Check on the solution after about 24 hours and you should see crystals start to form. If you want color put dye in the solution and it should start to look like the image above.4 when you have obtained all the sugar rocks you want, then you can drain the rest of the liquid and enjoy the rock
Sugars are also used in a process called the mallard reaction with brings out the flavor in the meat we eat. Sugar is also part of a process called caramelization, a process often used for creating artificial foods such as maple syrup, candy making, etc.5 Caramelization of sugar starts with the melting of the sugar at high temperatures. The temperature for it is 320 degrees F and 160 degrees C.6 Water is heated through convection, which means the hot water rises to the top and the colder water drops to the bottom. When you add sugar, the waters constant flow due to convection heating forces the movement of the sugar particles and then caramelization will begin once the water is hot enough. Once caramelization has begun and enough sugar has been added to the water once you remove the container from the stove and pour it in a different jar; the already caramelized sugar will remain mixed with the water and then once cooled, will slowly convert into crystalized sugar. If you have never created your own candy sugar rocks I encourage you to do