Crystal Carbohydrates: Creating a Data Table to Analyze How Sugar Structure Impacts the Formation of Butterscotch Candy

by: Sarah Reeves Young

This experiment takes a molecular view of sugar formation, introducing the sucrose molecule and how it can be arranged in different formations to create materials with very different qualities. The lab introduces students to the concept that the characteristics of their favorite foods come from how those foods are arranged at a molecular level. Students use basic observations such as taste and sight to contrast different butterscotch candy recipes. Students use these observations to address the molecular structure of the sugar. While looking at the composition of the sugars, students also are introduced to the skill of creating a data table. The data table creation is helpful because it not only organizes information but also highlights that qualitative observations are recognized as data in the same way that we use mathematics and numbers. This written element paired with the taste of old-fashioned butterscotch makes for an exciting approach to molecular chemistry.

Details

Type Book ChapterPub Date 4/30/2011Stock # PB290X_14

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