CRYSTALLIZATION 77 



Dr. Prinsen Geerligs, to be erroneous. He also shows 

 that a subsequent theory, that the crystallization is 

 prevented by the viscosity of the molasses, is also 

 unsound. His present theory is that there is a chemical 

 combination of the sugar (sucrose) with other constituents 

 in the molasses, forming very soluble bodies, much 

 more soluble than the sucrose or those other constituents 

 when existing in their separate forms. For instance, 

 a solution of common salt dissolves more sucrose 

 than the water contained in the solution would do. 

 Dubrunfaut, a French sugar expert of the middle of 

 the last century, first pointed this out, and many in- 

 vestigations were made at that time as to the melassi- 

 genic power of various salts. But the new theory 

 of a chemical combination of salts with the sucrose 

 leads to somewhat different conclusions. The solu- 

 bility of the constituents is regulated by the solubility 

 of their combinations, and not by the solubility of the 

 bodies in their uncombined state. On the other hand, 

 the presence of glucose does not make the sucrose more 

 soluble. Its presence is found actually to decrease 

 the solubility of sucrose in the presence of salts ; that is 

 to say that, where glucose and salts are present in the 

 solution, the amount of sucrose crystallizing out increases 

 .in proportion as the liquid contains more glucose for 

 the same amount of salts. 



This is a rather long story, but it is worth putting 

 on record as a definite explanation of the formation of 

 exhausted molasses, hitherto more or less a mystery, but 

 now clearly defined by Dr. Prinsen Geerligs' laborious 

 investigations. He gives seventy-seven analyses of 

 Java molasses with most elaborate details. Finally, 

 he defines an " ideal molasses as a compound of 

 sucrose, salts and water in the approximate proportions 

 of 55, 25 and 20," and " a factory molasses as a syrupy 



