College of Engineering & Technology

Department of Materials and Resources Engineering & Technology Activity No. 1

(DMRET)
Date: Jan. 29, 2024
Course No. & Title: CER139.1 Glass Manufacturing Technology Laboratory Due: Feb. 19, 2024
Activity Title: Effect of Composition on the Density of a Sugar Glass Page 1 of 2

A. MATERIALS

A.1. TOOLS

 Metal pot
 Silicone spatula
 Stove
 Silicone molds (oven-safe)
 Candy/ food thermometer

A.2. INGREDIENTS

 Cane sugar/ white, granulated sugar

 Light corn syrup
 Cream of tartar (powder)
 Water
 Food coloring (powder)

Note:

1 1
 For 3 cup (790 g) of white granulated sugar, you will need teaspoon (1.25 g) of cream of tartar
2 4
 The density of corn syrup is approximately 1.4 g/mL. Corn syrup is almost entirely made of dextrose, a
sugar. Dextrose is also known as glucose.
B. PROCEDURE

1. Pour the sugar, water, light corn syrup, and cream of tartar into a pot. Place the pot on the stove.
You must use light corn syrup, or the glass will turn out too dark.
2. Slowly bring the ingredients to a boil over medium heat while stirring them. Don't use high heat.
The sugar will boil too quickly if you do, and start to caramelize. Stir the ingredients often so that
you don't scorch the bottom of the pot. As the mixture heats up, it'll go from a cloudy color to
clear. When it boils, it will start to form foamy bubbles at top.
A silicone spatula will make clean up a lot easier than a wooden, plastic, or metal one.
3. Stir the ingredients together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Make sure to stir often, or
the bottom of the pot may scorch. The mixture will be a little cloudy at first, but it will eventually
turn clear.
4. Clip a candy thermometer to the inside wall of the pot. You can find one in a baking and cooking
supply shop, an arts and crafts shop, or in the baking section of a super market. You will need this
to get the temperature of your candy. If your candy thermometer does not have a clip, tie it loosely
to the handle of the pot with a piece of string.
5. Heat the candy to 300°F (148.89°C), and then remove it from heat. The candy must reach 300°F
(148.89°C). This is known as the "hard crack" phase. If you do not get the candy hot enough, it
will not set properly. Your candy will end up sticky no matter how long you let it sit or cool. It
will take about an hour for the candy to reach the right temperature. The temperature will stop
rising for a moment somewhere between 210 and 240°F (98.89 and 115.56°C). This is because the
water is evaporating. Once the water has evaporated, the temperature will begin rising again.
6. Keep the temperature between 300 and 310°F (148.89 and 154.45°C). Do not allow it to reach
320°F (160°C) or your sugar glass will caramelize and turn brown. If you do not have a candy
thermometer, test the candy by dropping a tiny amount into a glass of cold water. The candy has
reached the "hard crack" phase if it hardens into threads.
7. Remove the pot from the stove and add in the food coloring.
8. Slowly pour the hot candy into the silicone mold. This will minimize any bubbles. The candy will
be thick, and spread slowly across the mold.
9. Place the mold onto an even surface and let the candy harden. This will help the candy spread out
evenly so that the finished glass is smooth and not lumpy. Leave the candy to dry for about an
hour. Don't move the candy until the full hour has passed. It will be cool to the touch after 45
minutes, but it won't be hardened.
10. Once entirely cooled, remove the hardened candy from the silicone mold.

Note:

 Things to watch for:

→ Initial state of mixture (cloudy and un-dissolved), How long to stay at that state?
→ What is the temperature when bubbles start? Where the bubbles start?
→ Temperature where starts to boils vigorously:
→ Temperature where solution clears:
→ Temperature where threads appear on spoon
→ Temperature for crack
 Tabulate your observations.
C. DENSITY MEASUREMENT

1. If you don’t want to use your silicone mold for density measurement, cast the molten mixture
to 5 different metal beverage bottle caps. Let them cool for about an hour and the density is
measured until the sample is entirely cooled.
2. Assemble a measuring cup with a straw-spill as an Archimedes displacement container. Fill it
with water to the spill level and collect the displaced water. The density of sugar candy is
computed as its mass divided by the mass of the displaced liquid.

(Compare these observations from one composition to other)

Reference: https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Sugar-Glass