Fructose: Invert Sugar Separated with Lime as Calcium Laevulosate

Fructose (laevulose) is the fruit sugar; ordinary sugar is fructose and glucose joined. Thorpe's Dictionary (1912) separates them: invert the sugar with acid, then stir lime into the ice-cold solution. The fructose comes down as calcium laevulosate, which hardly dissolves in ice water, while the glucose stays in solution. Carbon dioxide then frees the fructose. It melts at 95 °C and is sweeter than ordinary sugar. The picture: our diagram.