# Is there any conceivable way to separate Splenda & sugar that have been mixed together? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850 "2011-05-05T16:51:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/21 "2011-05-06T12:06:10Z")
They are probably different densities. May be possible to put a bowl of it on something that vibrates at a very high frequency. If the density is different enough, the heavy one will sink to the bottom, the lighter rise to the top. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/22 "2011-05-06T13:18:44Z")
Pour the whole mess back in the Splenda bag and return it to grocery store? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/23 "2011-05-06T14:54:10Z")
> [@CutterJohn](#): > > They are probably different densities. May be possible to put a bowl of it on something that vibrates at a very high frequency. If the density is different enough, the heavy one will sink to the bottom, the lighter rise to the top. ::claps:: Actually, the difference in grain size should accomplish this nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Cesmith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Cesmith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cesmith)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/24 "2011-05-06T15:01:59Z")
I registered just to say how helpful these posts had been! I’m writing a steampunk novel and a fire has started in the town, fueld by gasoline. My question is if it is already raining, and has been for days and the tempature is mild - would the rain put out a town-sized firestorm? And why or why not? Thank you so much again for all your helpful answers! Claire ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/25 "2011-05-06T15:06:20Z")
> [@Cesmith](#): > > My question is if it is already raining, and has been for days and the tempature is mild - would the rain put out a town-sized firestorm? And why or why not? The rain will not extinguish the fire. However, pouring a gigantic bowl of Splenda/sugar mix over the town will do it. ---
**Author:** ![Cesmith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Cesmith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cesmith)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/26 "2011-05-06T15:16:37Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > The rain will not extinguish the fire. > > However, pouring a gigantic bowl of Splenda/sugar mix over the town will do it. Oh wow, thanks for the speedy reply Duckster! Yay! That’s what I was thinking I just wanted to make sure before I sound like a complete idiot hehe. Lmao at giant bowl of Splenda. That’s actually brilliant! Sadly, good guys lose in this chapter hehe. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/27 "2011-05-06T15:47:38Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Hmm. I’m going to take this as a suggestion that I dig my bee-control machinery out of mothballs and rejigger it. > > I’ll take it under consideration, but frankly I’m not sure I can be trusted. What’s the worst that could happen? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/28 "2011-05-06T17:00:09Z")
> [@CutterJohn](#): > > They are probably different densities. May be possible to put a bowl of it on something that vibrates at a very high frequency. If the density is different enough, the heavy one will sink to the bottom, the lighter rise to the top. [Rotap](http://www.test-sieve.com/ro-tap-sieve-shaker.htm). If the particles are indeed of different sizes, a stack of sieves on a rotap machine will separate them out nicely. Note that the model shown in the first picture is insanely loud and you should wear hearing protection. Dust/particle masks (N95) are also required when testing pharmaceutical powder mixtures, but the risk of inhaling sugar or splenda is significantly less I would think! Chromatographic separation of sucrose and sucralose should be rather straightforward, once a suitable mobile phase was found. Their polarities are likely quite different due to the three chlorines on sucralose compared to sucrose. Maltodextrin and dextrose are also different, so the four molecules can be distinguished. It could be done using flash chromatography or HPLC, and then the eluents collected and re-purified and the Splenda mixture could be remixed at that point. It would cost a small fortune, though…at least much more than a new bag of sugar and a new bag of Splenda. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/29 "2011-05-06T17:05:11Z")
Y’know, with the end of the cold war, surely there are some uranium enrichment machines going cheap on eBay. If they can seperate U235 from U238… ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/30 "2011-05-06T17:30:39Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > But the dextrose and maltodextrin components are crucial. They are probably at minimum 99% of the physical composition of an ounce of Splenda. The physical sucralose is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar so there needs to be only 1/100s of the amount. You probably couldn’t find the sucralose under a microscope. All you have are dextrose and maltodextrin. It’s like a vitamin tablet. You can’t pick the actual vitamin out of the filler if you tried. Specialists sell sucralose dissolved in water or another solvent, to avoid the problem you mention that comes with regular powdered/granular Splenda: the vast majority of the powder is actually sugars, so it will still have calories and promote tooth decay and the like … just not as bad as regular sucrose will. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/31 "2011-05-06T17:36:57Z")
Aren’t the splenda granules significantly less dense than sugar? Pour the mix onto a sheet, have a fan blowing and toss the mixture through the air. The splenda will be blown away, and the sugar remain behind. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/32 "2011-05-06T17:58:31Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > Specialists sell sucralose dissolved in water or another solvent, to avoid the problem you mention that comes with regular powdered/granular Splenda: the vast majority of the powder is actually sugars, so it will still have calories and promote tooth decay and the like … just not as bad as regular sucrose will. sweetzfree dot com liquid splenda. ---
**Author:** ![ElevatedSteve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3da27b/32.png) [@ElevatedSteve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElevatedSteve)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/33 "2011-05-06T22:13:18Z")
You could eat all of the mixture. The Splenda will be almost completely undigested, while the sugar will be the opposite. I would think that they would be pretty unusable after that, but they would be separated. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/34 "2011-05-06T22:33:58Z")
> [@ElevatedSteve](#): > > You could eat all of the mixture. The Splenda will be almost completely undigested, while the sugar will be the opposite. > > I would think that they would be pretty unusable after that, but they would be separated. Which of the syllables of _diabetes_ is unclear to you? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/35 "2011-05-06T22:56:56Z")
Apparently, the “die” part. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/36 "2011-05-07T01:32:06Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Which of the syllables of _diabetes_ is unclear to you? The problem as stated was to find a method of separating the two components. You never said anything about surviving the process. Talk about moving the goalposts! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/37 "2011-05-07T02:33:03Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > the vast majority of the powder is actually sugars, so it will still have calories and promote tooth decay and the like … just not as bad as regular sucrose will. Why do you think this is true? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/38 "2011-05-07T02:50:19Z")
Very fine-sharp-pointed tweezers? Actually, throwing it at a witch or a vampire is a good idea. If you throw birdseed at them, they drop everything and will obsessively compulsively separate all the grains into different piles, so it might work with this… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/39 "2011-05-07T18:35:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Why do you think this is true? Mostly because there isn’t as much of it. The crystals of Splenda are formed such as to not pack as efficiently, so you get less mass of it (but the same total sweetness, due to the sucralose) in a cup or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850/40 "2011-05-07T19:56:24Z")
Heat a flat surface then sieve the mixture thinly onto it. The sugar should stick and the splenda will shake off. But I think it would probably be easier to build a time machine, go back in time and label the sugar container. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-conceivable-way-to-separate-splenda-sugar-that-have-been-mixed-together/580850.md?page=3)