Sugar charcoal is formed by the charring of cane sugar, which was repeatedly recrystallized to remove any organic impurities.[1] It is also prepared by the dehydration of sugar in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid. Since sulfuric acid is a dehydrating agent, it absorbs water from the sugar and leaves behind black residue of carbon. It is the purest form of amorphous carbon.

Use

Since sugar charcoal is a method of producing very pure carbon it is used to prepare artificial diamonds. When heated strongly at high temperature (3000-3500 °C) and high pressure, it is converted into an artificial diamond.

It is used as a reducing agent in the process of extraction of metals.

Sugar charcoal has decolourizing properties, which means it removes some dyes, such as methylene blue,[1] from water.

References

  1. 1 2 Bartell, F. E.; Miller, E. J. (September 1922). "Adsorption by Activated Sugar Charcoal. I1". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 44 (9): 1866–1880. doi:10.1021/ja01430a004. ISSN 0002-7863.
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