saccharin
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saccharin
a very sweet white crystalline slightly soluble powder used as a nonfattening sweetener. Formula: C7H5NO3S
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
saccharin
[′sak·ə·rən] (organic chemistry)
C6H4COSO2NH A sweet-tasting, white powder, soluble in acetates, benzene, and alcohol; slightly soluble in water and ether; melts at 228°C; used as a sugar substitute for syrups, and in medicines, foods, and beverages. Also known as benzosulfimide; gluside.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Saccharin
(also o-sulfobenzoic imide), a colorless crystalline substance with the structural formula

Saccharin is poorly soluble in water (1:250) and alcohol (1:40) and has a melting point of 228°–229°C. It is sweet but has a bitter aftertaste. The crystal hydrate of the sodium salt of saccharin, known as Crystallose, has a higher solubility in water (1:1.5).
Saccharin is obtained commercially by the oxidation of o-toluenesulfonamide. With a sweetness 400–500 times that of sugar, saccharin was formerly used in great quantities as a sugar substitute. It is not assimilated by the body but rather is excreted in the urine. Saccharin is used as a sweetener for certain items, such as toothpaste, and as an additive in electroplating technology.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.