When Was Saccharin Invented

When was saccharin invented

 

Answer:

It was accidentally discovered in the year 1879 by a Russian chemist named Constantine Fahlberg.

Explanation:

Fahlberg was experimenting on the oxidation of o-toluenesulfonamide and methylated sulfobenzoic acids. One day, he forgot to wash his hands after an experiment in the laboratory and went on to have his unch. His bread tasted unusually sweet and it what he tasted was the first sample of the artificial sweetener, saccharin.

Since he did not know which chemicals produced this sweet taste, he rushed back to the laboratory to taste every chemical and compound (take note: kids, please do not do this!). He narrowed it down to a beaker that contained an overboiled substance.

The substance was o-sulfobenzoic acid and it had reacted with phosphorus chloride and ammonia. What was produced is benzoic sulfinide. Since he knew how the process went, he replicated the product through a different process and before 1879 ended, he published a paper about the production of sacharrin with the laboratory owner, Ira Remsen.