• This experiment makes a great collaborative class activity. Make copies of pages 1 and 2 only for student use. Encourage
students to bring in their favorite beverages for testing—this gives them “ownership” of their experiment and promotes
friendly competition to determine the results of the testing. Try to obtain a variety of non-diet beverages.
• Fructose (“fruit sugar”) is the main sugar present in fruit juices, fruit drinks such as Snapple,® and most carbonated sodas.
For best results, the beverage samples should be at room temperature, as close to 20 °C as possible.
• Table sugar is sucrose, a disaccharide composed of one molecule of fructose joined with one molecule of glucose after loss
of water. Both fructose and sucrose reference solutions were tested in this activity and both gave similar results and accuracy.
Connecting to the National Standards
This laboratory activity relates to the following National Science Education Standards (1996):
Unifying Concepts and Processes: Grades K–12
Evidence, models, and explanation
Constancy, change, and measurement
Content Standards: Grades 9–12
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
Content Standard B: Physical Science, structure and properties of matter
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives; personal and community health