Why is syrup sticky?

[lilflower]

My 4-year-old asked me this the other day and I thought it was a good question. I tried wikipedia but it wasn’t specific about the source of the stickiness. Does anyone here know?

Thanks.

[hotflungwok]

Sugar.

It’s why sugared soda dries sticky and diet soda does not.

[robby]

@hotflungwok

Sugar.

It’s why sugared soda dries sticky and diet soda does not.

OK–why is sugar sticky?

[lilflower]

Thanks for the information. When I google “sticky sugar”, I get a much better response than when I google “sticky syrup”.

I found this

Sugar itself has many forms. I assume that you mean normal table sugar. This sugar is not sticky when it is dry, but when it gets wet it becomes sticky due to something called hydrogen bonding. The formula for sugar is C6H12O6. When this interacts with water the hydrogens in the sugar and the hydrogens in the water have an attraction toward each other. It is these hydrogen bonds which make the sugar “sticky”.

cite: Re: What makes sugar sticky?

[hotflungwok]

@robby

OK–why is sugar sticky?

Hydrogen bonding.

Doh, beaten.

[dropzone]

@lilflower

My 4-year-old asked me this the other day and I thought it was a good question.

Yeah, start explaining hydrogen bonding and your 4-yr-old will never ask another question. That’s a win-win!

[Squink]

It is these hydrogen bonds which make the sugar “sticky”.

Sure, it’s not as if there’s any hydrogen bonding in non-sticky water for example.
Sugar’s got intermolecular bonds, and it’s viscous at high concentrations.

[mlees]

So it won’t all slip off the pancake at once…

Oops. Sorry. This is General Questions… not the cafe society. Whistles innocently