Strontian process

The strontian process was a chemical method used to extract sugar from molasses, particularly popular in Europe during the mid-19th century. Named after the Scottish village of Strontian, where strontium carbonate (strontianite) was first discovered, this technique utilized strontium compounds as coreactants.

In the process, strontium carbonate was calcined with carbon and steam to produce strontium hydroxide, which then reacted with sugars in molasses to form a poorly soluble strontium saccharide. This compound was filtered out while kept in near-boiling water. Cooling this solution caused one sugar molecule to separate, and introducing carbon dioxide released the second sugar while regenerating the strontium carbonate.

The method was initially developed by French chemists Hippolyte Leplay and Augustin-Pierre Dubrunfaut, who expanded their patent in 1849 to include strontium salts. However, it wasn't until Carl Scheibler's improvements in the early 1880s that the process became industrially viable, requiring boiling temperatures.

In Germany, the Dessauer Sugar Refinery adopted Scheibler's method, leading to a surge in strontianite mining in regions like Münsterland. Despite this, by 1883, demand declined as celestine from England offered a cheaper alternative and falling sugar prices made molasses processing less profitable.