The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-10-28
Investigations in Regard 10
Cane Juice.
And the Notifications IL HDdeTgOes dur
ing the Process of Extraction
at MauTitiuS.
Part second.

.. know the TTecI=s nature Of tLI5 substance. anu
determine whether it precedes OF follows the
formation Of cTystaliizable sugar, which I= equal
l. found there: in other terms, whether, IN It,
change, il gives birth . the latter, (prOPer sugar.
or If On the contrary, II Is not itself q product Of
tie tr.nsfJrmatiOn Of proper sugar, (crystalliza-
ble.J The insufficient means az present. 90 the
dlsp..-l Of chemistry in order 10 Isolate in Z
prompt and complete manner these two species u
sugar without altering their original characters,
will not, perhaps, b. permitted before sometime
J. consumed IN formulating the competition OF
snare intcrreTG proper 10 sugar cane. The Opt
cal experiments | have made IN order TO ascertain
the rJtatyry power Of this body have conducted
me. 1 must confess, only u results very uncertain
indeed. | have concluded, however, from these
e~xperiment=. that the liquid sugar (mJlasses) y
generally ErgggTe, QeayenD bat that this char
actor j HJdiEable, and IN certain circumstance,
IL has tie property Of turning partially u the
right and do not become Interyerted through a
l,rZ action Of acids, a. If II was formed Of q
portion Of NrggyTe and 4 portion Of deIirCgyTe
H0u-IHtervertIble. IL J. necessaTy u admit this
Interpretation IN order - explain the cJntracic-
Tory products IN appearance which an optical
examination furnishes u juice coming from canes
which contain a considerable proportion Of sugar
liquid
Doc not this substance PASS through I sucre
Esutg5e state ia order = become cTyStallizltle
sIg1r2 ithJUt seeking here t. substitute hy-
IJrhesis fgT fact. and theory for observation, IL Il
right o. Props this question when II = renein-
b~It4 iAtt We nave ITtfIJt-4E @tfiHi-f"74 C4rLL4y
THE TretgmlEauc= 81 sugar. AquIi a. cane Of
which the sap was not completely elaborated,
the gradual dIMInUtiyH Of tins substance ia pFu-
portion a. the cryztalIizaLie sugar increased,
finally - persistence 50 long as vegetation i sus-
tliu-d. - Disappearance when growth becomes
n-irIT STATIONARY, and 81 temperance =imuita-
TeIusiT with it, commencement again 70 grow OF
v=gertte- Unless re admit that which Seems t.
u suTJssItle. that uucTyStIllzlSle sugar which
exists IA cane Juice In such circumstance. that
l. wNau This r.anr 4. Ea all It's Vsr.r ~ l. Irl- a
product Of alteration resembling that which fer
meats and acids caUse cFy=talliz4ble sugar u IN
c@rg1- u - difficult T. consider other than tie
transformation We h~IITeneI u make and have
d==cuLet IA many different phases. Ira this by
F1thesi5 cane sugar. properly - called that
which j. found IN tJtality IN canes arrived u
maturity. does not take its origin directly from
the midst Of the liquid which battles the different
parts Of the vegetable tissue. but i formed little
by little at the expense Of other bodies which
have already . great similarity 70 ii and becomes
modified under the double influence Of yegeta-
ton and solar rays.
9th. In captivating, then. We can sag that
the sugar which exists originally IN the cane It's
sue, differs IN more than one respect from that
extracted from IL at q period when this plant,
Icing completely deTelDped, has arrived u ma
turIty, and there l. every reason % admit that
I~rlzmatic crystallizable sugar i the dehnitiye
result % an analogous operation that takes place
in forming glucose but whilst that the latter IS
the list step Of An operation which it Il permit
tel g. produce ar;IEcially. the other, on the con-
trary, can take place only in the D-s5m Of the
vegetable organization and under the Influence OF
vital forces.
The processes which / have followed in deter
mining the nature and quantity Of sugar con-
tanned IN cane juice are those which, to-day,
present the most ezactItude, and which are gene
rally employed in ike circumstances. Having,
N this respect, only followed the way already
traced. | have spared the reader the fatigue CT
descriptions and processes, which perhaps are
more familiar % him than % myself. There Is
however one reagent which Is personal, and /
shall take the liberty to make this claim known
Ia terminating this chapter. This reagent -
constituted by the Oxyde Of copper in solution in
= concentrated solution of caUstic soda. 1t is
necessary tO;Ike certain precautions, In pTepar-
ing IL, without which the solutions Of metallic
oxyIc cInnot be produced. Take about half Of
. cubic centimctre Of q weak solution OF sui
plate Of copper in 4 glass and pour rapidly on II
ahpu; D cubic centimetrcs of soda while cOmnu-
nicIting To the liquid 4 rotary movement in the
glass Agitate it quickly with n stick, and after
dccantIng II, in order 10 separate a small guam
tity &C preeipicate Of Oxyde of copper, q liquor
81 beautiful deep blue i obtained, which it il
necessary to screen from the light. Ii Is import
ant 10 avoid the contact Of all ammoniacal vapOr,
fr the traces of that alkali trouble completely
the effect produced by the cupTO-pOtaSsIc liquor.
To use this, add juice to IL in the proportion Of
about One-third Of the former when the Juice Is
suspected Of containing sure iaterrcTfi, and =
Leave the mixture, which, at the end of two OF
three minutes, passes from deep blue u rcd-yiOlct
IT there Is ever 50 small quantity of glucose III IL.
No other substance Of the juice Possesses IN ike
ease the property Of producing = change Of color
30 strongly marked - this reagent+; on account
of its seu-Ibility and the facility with which 1t
can be used. IL Is very convenient when one desires
10 recognize simply the presence of sucrs iItor-
rfTfI IN the liquid extract Of any plant but its
instability, due 70 the slow separation Of the me-
talIic oxydc. does not permit OF IT. use, like the
tromnherz liquor, Is . means ds dosage
Hop ORGANIC MATTERS OTHER THAN
SUGAR.
7 have indicated = great number Of organic
rllatluccs more or less well defined in cane Juice :;
but as they are al far from being Of equal i'm
Ilrtauce during the operation Of extracting the
Sugar. 1 Shall limit mysel! for the present To sx-
I..iuiug only those which exercise 4 real iuflu-
ence upon ths quality Of tile juice, r~eSeFying 10
mys,it the duty Il describing the Others after
wards and max them an object Of special study.
h-sic acetate OF lead, mixed with juice, produces
an abundant pTecipItate ia which i found in
vUlvet the principal part Of vegetable and other
matters than sugar this prscipItate, a. well as |
can make out contains equally With the salts Of
lead some acids which are found in the juice in
cymbnatian with alkaline bases. If acetate Of
Head IS employed in order u ascertain the quantity
Of these organic substances, it IS necessary then
t. take account Of the difference resulting from
the action of this salt upon the carbOnates.
CELEBRATES and s~ulphates Of the juice; otherwise
one might operate upon the first product with =
very large quantity. | have used the basic ace
tate. hut have taken care - dcduce, 1T the same
time, from the Vrecipitate obtained. the weight
Of insoluble salts and vegetable matters involved.
! have given, in the preceding general table. the
proportion of these matters for LOCO grammes Of
mice c,mfnp from canes taken in the different