IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF GLUCOSE, SYRUP, AND SUGAR
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF GLUCOSE,
SYRUP, AND SUGAR."-A communication from abroad by Jean Jacques
Grosheinz, of Logelbach, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 18th October 1870, and dated the 27th June 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 27th June 1870.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF
GLUCOSE, SYRUP, AND SUGAR," to be as follows:―
Hitherto the means employed in the production of glucose, and
especially of white syrup, in order to produce a good result have
required extreme care, and the application of the means to effect this is

page_text: a delicate operation. The reason of this is that it was needful to remove
the insoluble salt.
The object of the improved process is not to act upon the insoluble
salts, but to produce soluble salt which it will not be requisite to
remove, since they can without inconvenience remain in the saccharine
matter.
The process is as follows:-The acid employed in the decomposition
of the fecula or other amylaceous matters is saturated with a base so
as to produce soluble salts which remain in the matter. It is preferred
to use hydrochloric or sulphuric acid, and for the alkaline base soda,
potassa, ammonia, or magnesia is employed. The proportion of acid
cannot be precisely fixed; it varies according to the degree of saccha-
rification to be communicated to the product.
It is not, however, needful to specify the exact proportion in order
to understand the precise character of the Invention, which is founded
solely on the principle of the saturation of the acid by a base yielding
soluble salts, which remain in the product obtained, instead of a base
yielding insoluble salts, which have hitherto been removed. Subse-
quently it has been ascertained that the presence of these soluble salts,
although capable of being recognized by analysis, exerts no injurious
influence on the saccharine matter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence,
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF GLUCOSE, SYRUP, AND SUGAR," being a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Jean Jacques Grosheinz, of Logelbach,
in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say):
:―
Hitherto the means employed in the production of glucose, and
especially white of syrup, in order to produce a good result have
required extreme care, and the application of the means to effect this is
a delicate operation. The reason of this is that it was necessary to
remove the insoluble salts produced by neutralizing the acid matters
with the earthy alkaline bases heretofore used for that purpose.
The object of my improved process is not to act upon the insoluble
salts, but instead thereof to produce soluble salts which it will not be
requisite to remove, since they can without inconvenience remain in the
saccharine matter.
The process
is as follows :-'
-The acid that has been employed in tho
decomposition of the fecula or other amylaceous matters is to be satu-
rated with such a base as will produce a soluble salts which may remain
in the saccharine matters. It is preferred to use hydrochloric or sul-
phuric acid for acting on the fecula, and for the alkaline base whereby the
acid is to be neutralized I use either soda, potassa, ammonia, or magnesia.
The proportion of acid to be used in manufacturing the glucose cannot
be precisely fixed, as it will vary; first, according to the nature of the
acid employed; second, according to the nature of the amylaceous

page_text: "
to be
matter; and third, according to the degree of "saccharification
communicated to the product or the nature of the product (whether
syrup or sugar) which it may be desired to obtain.
Although, in order to understand the precise character of the present
Invention it is not necessary to specify the exact proportion of the acid
to be employed in the process, it may be stated that the quantity of
acid may vary from one half to two per cent. of the amylaceous matter.
The processes for converting amylaceous substances into either
sugar or syrup are the same, and may be described as follows:―The
amylaceous substances are diluted with acidulated water and then boiled
until the matter arrives at the degree of saccharification (either as syrup
or sugar) which it is desired to obtain. The degree of saccharification
may be ascertained by means of tincture of iodine. Iodine in contact
with any saccharine matter gives shades of colour which vary from blue
to yellow according to the degree of saccharification produced. When
the desired degree of saccharification has been attained the boiling
process is to be stopped, and the second operation, that is, the satu-
ration or neutralization of the acid by an alkaline base is proceeded
with. The quantity of the alkaline base to be added will of course
depend upon the quantity of acid employed in the first part of the process;
this base is added with care, in order to avoid any boiling over of the
matter caused by the effervescence, which will take place by the action
of the alkali on the acid. According to the ordinary mode of treatment
the sulphuric acid used in the process of saccharification is neutralized
by the addition of chalk or carbonate of lime, and thereby sulphate of
lime is formed which is in a great measure insoluble. A great portion
of this sulphate of lime will be deposited if the liquid (in which it is
produced) is sufficiently thin, but a certain portion of the sulphate of
lime remains in the solution and is partly precipitated when the saccharine
matter arrives at a certain degree of concentration. From this it will
be understood that the saccharine product will contain a certain amount
of sulphate of lime and will consequently be impure and unwholesome.
If it be desired to get rid entirely of calcareous matter it must be
extracted or removed by means of successive concentrations which will
have the effect of causing a deposit of the earthy matter. This result
will therefore be obtained by long and tedious processes.
.
From the above explanation it will be understood that the present
Invention is founded solely on the principle of the saturation of the acid

page_text: by a base capable of yielding a soluble salt (which may remain in the
product obtained) instead of using a base which will produce an insoluble
salt, as heretofore, and which hitherto has been removed subsequently,
as already explained. It has been ascertained that the presence of these
soluble salts (although capable of being recognised by analysis) exerts
no injurious influence on the saccharine matter and therefore need not
be removed. The process, therefore, is much simplified and a considerable
saving of time is effected.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim, as the Invention which I desire
to secure by Letters Patent, manufacturing glucose, syrup, and sugar, by
the use of acids in combination with alkaline bases as herein set forth,
and which alkaline bases (by combining with the acids) will produce
soluble salts which may without inconvenience remain in the substances
that have been operated upon.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of
December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy.