CLARIFICATION 59 



juice the lime, if not neutralized, would form with the 

 sugar various sucrates (or saccharates) of lime, some 

 soluble but some, unfortunately, insoluble. Here 

 would be a great loss of sugar because the insoluble 

 sucrate would disappear in the scum. Hence the 

 absolute necessity for some acid to neutralize the lime 

 and to set free again the sugar from its unstable com- 

 bination. There is another combination of sugar with 

 lime, discovered or defined by Boivin and Loiseau in 

 1868, which is interesting for other reasons. They called 

 it the sucrate of the hydrocarbonate of lime. It is a 

 gelatinous body but is broken up by further addition 

 of the gas. 



It is clear from these facts that it is necessary to 

 saturate the limed juice thoroughly with carbonic acid 

 in order to make sure that no sugar finds its way into 

 the scum, and to commence the saturation before apply- 

 ing heat. But if the saturation were carried too far 

 part of the precipitated carbonate, which had carried 

 with it not only the impurities but also the colouring 

 matter, would become soluble, and the decolorized 

 juice would again become coloured. In the double 

 carbonatation the saturation is stopped before this 

 danger-point is reached, the decolorized and purified 

 juice is drawn off, and a second operation commenced. 

 More lime is added, and the juice is again saturated 

 with the gas up to the point where it is nearly but not 

 quite neutral. 



The details of the operation may now be briefly 

 described. Milk of lime is added to the cold juice 

 directly it comes from the beetroot. This operation 

 is preferably performed in a separate vessel with a 

 mechanical stirrer. The limed juice then goes to the 

 carbonating vessel and the gas is injected while the 

 juice is still cold. Great frothing takes place, which is 



