Dulcin is an artificial
sweetener
{{Wiktionary, sweetener
A sweetener is a substance added to food or drink to impart the flavor of sweetness, either because it contains a type of sugar, or because it contains a sweet-tasting sugar substitute. Many artificial sweeteners have been ...
about 250 times sweeter than
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
, discovered in 1883 by the Polish chemist Józef (Joseph) Berlinerblau (27 August 1859 – 1935). It was first mass-produced about seven years later. Although it was discovered only five years after
saccharin
Saccharin (''aka'' saccharine, Sodium sacchari) is an artificial sweetener with effectively no nutritional value. It is about 550 times as sweet as sucrose but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste, especially at high concentrations. Saccharin is u ...
, it never enjoyed the latter compound's market success. Nevertheless, it was an important sweetener of the early 20th century and had an advantage over saccharin in that it did not possess a bitter
aftertaste
Aftertaste is the taste intensity of a food or beverage that is perceived immediately after that food or beverage is removed from the mouth. The aftertastes of different foods and beverages can vary by intensity and over time, but the unifying f ...
.
Early medical tests marked the substance as safe for human consumption, and it was considered ideal for
diabetics
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased a ...
. However, an
FDA
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...
study in 1951 raised many questions about its safety, resulting in its removal from the market in 1954 after animal testing revealed
chronic toxicity Chronic toxicity, the development of adverse effects as a result of long term exposure to a contaminant or other stressor, is an important aspect of aquatic toxicology. Adverse effects associated with chronic toxicity can be directly lethal but are ...
. Food and drug Safety association has also said that "Consequently, the Federal Security Administrator regards these chemicals as poisonous substances which have no place in any food". In
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, poisoning accidents by dulcin occurred frequently, and use of dulcin was forbidden in 1969.
Dulcin is also known by the names sucrol and valzin.
Preparation
Dulcin can be produced by the addition of
potassium cyanate
Potassium cyanate is an inorganic compound with the formula KOCN (sometimes denoted KCNO). It is a colourless solid. It is used to prepare many other compounds including useful herbicide. Worldwide production of the potassium and sodium salts was ...
to
''p''-phenetidine hydrochloride in an aqueous solution at room temperature.
An alternate way to make dulcin is by mixing
urea
Urea, also known as carbamide, is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest amide of carbamic acid.
Urea serves an important r ...
and ''p''-phenetidine hydrochloride to a mixture of
hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid
Acid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbol ...
and glacial
acetic acid
Acetic acid , systematically named ethanoic acid , is an acidic, colourless liquid and organic compound with the chemical formula (also written as , , or ). Vinegar is at least 4% acetic acid by volume, making acetic acid the main component ...
.
Toxicity
Dulcin is toxic to rats at 0.1% of the diet and above. At 0.1% it causes a slight slowdown in growth; at 1.0% the slowdown is evident alongside an increase in mortality and noticeable histological changes in liver, kidney, spleen and heart.
See also
*
5-Nitro-2-propoxyaniline (P-4000), banned alongside dulcin by the FDA
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*{{Commons category-inline
Sugar substitutes
Ureas