RESEARCHES ON SUGAR, MOLASSES, &C. 121 
crystals of cane sugar; hence the transformation noticed by 
the first writer was certainly not owing to the action of the 
lime. 
So much lime is dissolved in a solution of sugar in water, 
that when it is saturated by sulphuric acid, it forms a solid 
mass from the quantity of sulphate of lime thus formed. I 
often employ in my laboratory this solution of lime in sugar 
and water, when the presence of the sugar has no influence on 
the desired results. 
On the 6th of January, I placed solutions of the different 
kinds of grape sugar with an excess of lime in well closed 
vessels, and exposed them to a heat of 110° till the 19th 
of March. During the first few days, the solutions became 
dark coloured, and this phenomenon successively augmented; 
I removed the excess of lime by means of carbonic acid, 
evaporated the fluid, and obtained a brown extractiform mass, 
without saccharine taste, but extremely bitter, and which was 
soluble in both water and alcohol, and was not susceptible of 
alcoholic fermentation. I intend to study this with care, as I 
am inclined to believe that this substance is the antecedent to 
ulmic acid. It is produced during the alteration which takes 
place when grape sugar is converted into uncrystallizable sugar 
by means of acids; I have seen a very small portion of this 
substance render a large quantity of grape and even cane sugar, 
uncrystallizable. 
Berzelius contradicts the assertion so generally made, that 
lime changes grape sugar to a brown colour, unaided by heat. 
The 30th January, I made a solution of 100 grammes of 
grape sugar in 50 grammes of water, containing an excess of 
lime, and suffered the mixture to remain undisturbed at the 
ordinary temperature, until the third of April; a slight preci- 
pitate of a rose colour was formed above the excess of lime; 
the fluid itself was amber coloured; by saturation with sulphu- 
ric acid, it became sensibly brown; on being filtered and 
evaporated, it afforded an uncrystallizable product. 
All the grape sugars gave similar results; with the sugar of 
VOL. II. — NO. II. 16 
