CHEMISTRY OF A LUMP OF SUGAR. 99 



a suggestion which will naturally occur to the mind 

 of every reader. The insect is never found in re- 

 fined sugars. 



In white candy or the finest loaf sugar we have 

 the substance in a state of very high chemical 

 purity, the only difference between them being the 

 same as that seen on contrasting calcareous spar 

 with white marble. The one exhibits large and 

 distinct crystals ; the other a confused assemblage 

 of small ones. In manufacturing candy from mo- 

 lasses, an operation often performed in almost every 

 household, the " candying " results from boiling the 

 molasses to free it from water ; and then, after cool- 

 ing the waxy mass, pulling it by the hands, so as to 

 develop the colorless saccharine crystals which serve 

 to hide the dark impurities. 



The sugar-refining process is exceedingly simple 

 in all its details, and yet it requires the utmost care 

 and experience. The raw sugar is dissolved in water, 

 and mixed with albumen (white of eggs), serum of 

 blood, or their equivalent, and the whole is heated 

 to the boiling point. By the coagulation of the al- 

 bumen the mechanical impurities are separated and 

 removed. The syrup is then whitened or decolor- 

 ized by filtering it through a bed of coarsely-pow- 

 dered animal charcoal. This has the singular prop- 

 erty of absorbing various organic coloring matters, 

 so that the syrup comes through perfectly colorless. 



