Kirsten King, age 14, of Nampa, Idaho, for her question:

WHEN WAS SACCHARIN DISCOVERED?

Saccharin is a white crystal powder that is used for sweetening. It is a compound made from toluene, which is made from coal tar and petroleum. It was discovered in 1879 by Constantin Fahlberg, a German chemist, and by Ira Remsen, an American chemist.

Saccharin is 400 to 500 times as sweet as table sugar, but it contains no carbohydrates and has no food value. It is often .used by people who find it harmful to use sugar. Persons dieting to lose ,weight also often use saccharin in place of sugar.

Saccharin is made into tiny tablets and is also manufactured in liquid and powder form.

Since saccharin has no food value, the United States Pure Food and Drug laws spell out strict regulations in its commercial use.

Saccharin is not readily soluble in cold water, but in its commercial form it dissolves readily in most beverages.

The compound has no nutritive value and is excreted unchanged in the urine.