How to Prepare Sucrose Solutions

Sucrose is the chemical name for table sugar. It consists of a combination of glucose and fructose and is usually obtained from sugar cane or sugar beets. A solution is a liquid, usually water, with a solid dissolved in it. Sucrose solutions can be used as sweeteners, as an energy source by athletes or as a pain reliever for newborns undergoing a brief, painful procedure, according to the authors of a January 2013 paper published by the "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews."

The easiest way to make a percent solution is by weighing both the solid and the liquid. A standard kitchen scale will work well for weighing the sugar and water for a sucrose solution. To begin, determine the desired strength, or percentage, and quantity of sucrose solution. A higher strength solution will have more sucrose relative to the amount of water. This example describes the calculations to prepare 100 g of a 5 percent sucrose solution. To determine the amount of sucrose required, multiply the percentage by the amount of final solution: 0.05 x 100 g equals 5 g of sucrose. To determine the amount of water needed, subtract the weight of the sucrose from the final solution weight: 100 g - 5 g equals 95 g of water.

The sucrose solution can be stored for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator in a container with a lid.

Many scales have a tare feature, which means that a container can be placed on the scale and the tare button will "zero" the weight. To use this feature, place the container for the sucrose solution on the scale and press "Tare." Add the calculated amount of sugar, then add enough water to bring the weight to the desired amount.

Making a solution can also be done using volume if you have a container with markings -- also called graduations -- for the desired volume. In this example, because 1 mL of water weighs 1 g, you would be making 100 mL of sucrose solution. To mix the solution using volume, place 5 g of sucrose into the container and add water to the 100 mL mark.