What Is Saccharin?
Saccharin is an organic compound used as an artificial sweetener. It has the chemical formula C7H5NO3S and is composed of a benzene ring fused to a sultam ring. It is also known as o-sulfobenzimide and o-benzoic acid sulfimide, and other names.
It has a molecular weight of 183.18 and a melting point of 228.8° C. At room temperature, it is in the form of clear, colorless crystals or a white powder.
It has a slight aromatic odor. It has a density of 0.828 g/cm3 and an acid dissociation constant pKa of 1.6. It is soluble in ethanol and acetone and slightly soluble in water.
Uses of Saccharin
The main use of saccharin is as a sweetener. It has a sweetness of 200-700 compared to sucrose, which has a sweetness of 1, even in a 10,000-fold aqueous solution.
Saccharin itself is used only in limited foods such as chewing gum due to its low water solubility, and sodium saccharin, a water-soluble sodium salt, is generally used in a variety of processed foods.
Sodium saccharin is also used in medicines and foods where there is a need to prevent spoilage due to sugar, such as toothpaste, gum, pickles, and confections. It is a substance that is not readily absorbed by the body because it contains no glucose when broken down, and has a smaller energy intake than sucrose and other sugars.
It is used as an alternative to sugar in diabetics and other diets where sweetness is restricted, and in diet foods and beverages.
Properties of Saccharin
Aqueous solutions of saccharin are 350 times sweeter than sucrose, or 200-700 times sweeter, and have a numbing, pungent aftertaste. However, at high concentrations, it is said to have a bitter taste.
The substance is stable under normal storage conditions. However, it may be altered by light, and contact with strong oxidizing agents should be avoided. Hazardous decomposition products include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides.
Types of Saccharin
Saccharin is sold as a reagent product for research and development and as a sweetener and food additive raw material.
As reagent products for research and development, saccharin is sold as sodium saccharin hydrate as well as saccharin alone, in capacities of 25 g, 500 g, etc. Both are usually sold as reagent products that can be stored at room temperature. In research, their applications include physiological research and raw materials for organic synthesis.
Most sweetener and food additive raw material products are sold as sodium saccharin. Most of the capacity types are relatively large capacities such as 1 kg x 20 /carton. Saccharin is supplied for industrial use, such as in factories.
Other Information on Saccharin
1. Synthesis of Saccharin
Saccharin was accidentally discovered in 1878 from the study of coal tar. Many synthetic methods have been reported.
Originally, it was synthesized from toluene (one of the components of coal tar), but the yield was low, and in 1950, an improved synthetic method was reported in which methyl anthranilate is sequentially reacted with nitrous acid, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, and ammonia.
Other synthetic methods include a synthetic reaction using 2-chlorotoluene as a raw material.
2. Safety of Saccharin
Saccharin was banned for a period of time in the 1970s because the results of animal testing suggested a carcinogenic risk. The ban was later withdrawn because various tests conducted thereafter did not confirm carcinogenicity.
Because of this regulatory history, saccharin has been replaced in many foods by other artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and aspartame.