What Is The Chemical Name and Formula for Sugar?

Sugar is one of the most common ingredients used in our daily life. Known for its sweet taste and energy-inducing properties, sugar is an instant hit for making teas and energy drinks. In chemistry, sugar is not just one substance. It represents an entire group of compounds known as carbohydrates.

The carbohydrates occur naturally in plants such as sugarcane, sugar beet, and even in fruits and vegetables. There are different forms of sugars. Now depending on their structure, sugars can be classified into different types – monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

Disaccharides means two monosaccharides bonded together, like sucrose (glucose + fructose), lactose (glucose + galactose), and maltose (two glucose units). Monosaccharides are single sugar units like glucose, fructose, and galactose.

The familiar white, crystalline, solid form of sugar that we commonly use at home belongs to the disaccharides category. This form of sugar dissolves in water and adds sweetness to food and drinks. 

But do you know what sugar is chemically composed of? In this article, we shall learn what the scientific name of sugar is and its chemical formula, along with its uses in everyday life. 

What is the chemical name and formula for sugar?

The chemical name of sugar that we commonly use in everyday life is sucrose. The word sucrose was coined in 1857 by the English chemist William Miller from the French sucre ("sugar") and the generic chemical suffix for sugars -ose.

White sugar is pure sucrose which is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose subunits. The chemical formula for sugar meaning sucrose, is C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁. It consists of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose linked together. Sucrose contains 12 atoms of carbon, 22 atoms of hydrogen, and 11 atoms of oxygen. 

How is sugar made?

Sugar is made by extracting sucrose from the stems of sugarcane or the roots of sugar beet. The process includes extraction (crushing sugarcane or sugar beet), purification (cleaning of juice to remove impurities), concentration (purified juice is boiled to thicken), crystallisation (syrup is then cooled to form sugar crystals), and refining (raw sugar is filtered and recrystalised into pure, white sugar).

Physical and Chemical Properties of Sucrose

Sugar is a carbohydrate. It appears as a white, crystalline solid.

Sucrose is highly soluble in water. (around of temperature of 20 degrees celsius)

Sucrose has a monoclinic crystal structure.

When subjected to high temperatures, sucrose compound decomposes (caramalises).

When exposed to hydrolysis (inversion), Sucrose reacts with water thereby breaking the glycosidic bond linking the two carbohydrates in a C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ molecule.

Let's quickly look at the following properties of sucrose in the table below:

Uses of Sucrose

Some of the key uses of sucrose compound are listed below:

• Sucrose is one of the most important ingredients in soft drinks and beverages.
• It is used in pharmaceutical products.
• It is used for many emulsifying agents and detergents.
• Sucrose is used as a food thickening agent and as a food stabiliser.
• Sucrose also helps extend shelf life of items like jams and jellies.
• Sucrose is used in baking items to give them brown colour.
• Scruose is widely used as a food preservative.

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