Abstract
Candy, an everyday treat, is a convenient theme for teaching chemistry. Making candy incorporates solution concentration, colligative properties, and phase transformations while flavoring and color reflect synthesis or extraction. In this article, a nonscience major laboratory course on candy chemistry is presented. The course combines laboratory experiments and candy-making exercises, illustrating general chemistry principles and data collection. For example, students investigate crystal formation with rock candy and fudge, browning reactions with UV–vis spectroscopy and caramels, enzyme kinetics with polarimetry and cherry cordials, and freezing point depression with temperature measurements and ice cream. Imitation and natural flavors are obtained through Fischer esterification and distillation, respectively, while colorants are characterized through chromatography and spectroscopy. The course incorporates statistics through sensory analysis and color distribution. Student assessment and feedback as well as a poster/tasting session are also described.
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