Acesulfame-Potassium
<p><b >Acesulfame potassium</b> (ay-see-SUHL-faym) is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie" title="Calorie" >calorie</a>-free <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_sweetener" title="Artificial sweetener" class="mw-redirect" >artificial sweetener</a>, also known as <b >Acesulfame K</b> or <b >Ace K</b> (<b >K </b>being the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_symbol" title="Chemical symbol" >symbol</a> for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium" title="Potassium" >potassium</a>), and
marketed under the trade names <b >Sunett</b> and <b >Sweet One</b>. </p>
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In the European Union, it is known under the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_number" title="E number" >E number</a> (additive code) <b >E950</b>.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></sup> It was discovered accidentally in 1967 by German chemist Karl Clauss at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoechst_AG" title="Hoechst AG" >Hoechst AG</a> (now <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrinova" title="Nutrinova" >Nutrinova</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-1" >[2]</a></sup> In chemical structure, acesulfame potassium is the potassium salt of 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3<i >H</i>)-one 2,2-dioxide. It is a white crystalline powder with molecular formula C<sub >4</sub>H<sub >4</sub>KNO<sub >4</sub>S and a molecular weight of 201.24 g/mol.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-2" >[3]</a></sup>
<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" > </sup>
Acesulfame K is 200 times sweeter than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucrose" title="Sucrose" >sucrose</a> (table sugar), as
sweet as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame" title="Aspartame" >aspartame</a>, about 2/3 as sweet as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharin" title="Saccharin" >saccharin</a>, and 1/3 as sweet as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose" title="Sucralose" >sucralose</a>. Like saccharin, it has a slightly bitter<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftertaste" title="Aftertaste" >aftertaste</a>, especially at high concentrations. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraft_Foods" title="Kraft Foods" >Kraft Foods</a> has patented the use of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_ferulate" title="Sodium ferulate" >sodium ferulate</a> to mask acesulfame's aftertaste.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-3" >[4]</a></sup> Acesulfame K is often blended with other sweeteners (usually sucralose or aspartame). These blends are reputed to give a more sugar-like taste whereby each sweetener masks the other's aftertaste, and/or exhibits a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synergy" title="Synergy" >synergistic</a> effect by which the blend is sweeter than its components.
Unlike aspartame, acesulfame K is stable under heat, even under moderately acidic or basic conditions, allowing it to be used in baking, or in products that require a long shelf life. </p>
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In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonated_drink" title="Carbonated drink" class="mw-redirect" >carbonated drinks</a>, it is almost always used in conjunction with another sweetener, such as aspartame or sucralose. It is also used as a<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excipient#Sweeteners" title="Excipient" >sweetener</a> in protein shakes and pharmaceutical products,<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-4" >[5]</a></sup>especially chewable and liquid medications, where it can make the active ingredients more palatable.</p>
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Acesulfame Potassium was developed after the accidental discovery of a similar compound (5,6-dimethyl-1,2,3-oxathiazin-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide) in 1967 by Karl Clauss and Harald Jensen at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoechst_AG" title="Hoechst AG" >Hoechst AG</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-isbn0-8247-0437-1_5-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-isbn0-8247-0437-1-5" >[6]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-isbn0-442-00272-6_6-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-isbn0-442-00272-6-6" >[7]</a></sup> After accidentally dipping his fingers into the chemicals that he was working with, Clauss licked them to pick up a piece of paper.<sup id="cite_ref-isbn0-8160-5277-8_7-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-isbn0-8160-5277-8-7" >[8]</a></sup> Subsequent research showed that a number of compounds with the same basic ring structure had varying levels of sweetness. 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide had particularly favourable taste characteristics and was relatively easy to synthesize, so it was singled out for further research, and received its generic name (Acesulfame-K) from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization" title="World Health Organization" >World Health Organization</a> in 1978.<sup id="cite_ref-isbn0-8247-0437-1_5-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium#cite_note-isbn0-8247-0437-1-5" >[6]</a></sup>
<sup id="cite_ref-isbn0-8247-0437-1_5-1" class="reference" > </sup>
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