Aspartame vs Saccharin: what is the difference?
Saccharin is the older, smaller and sweeter molecule and survives baking, while aspartame is a dipeptide that heat breaks down and that delivers phenylalanine.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Each molecule's own drawing, as its page shows it. The common core, 6 of 21 atoms, is too small to align on.
Side by side
| Aspartame | Saccharin | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 294.3 g/molC14H18N2O5 | 183.19 g/molC7H5NO3S |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 3 | 1 |
| SweetnessMeasured FDA | 200× sugar | 400× sugar |
| Against table sugar, which is 1. | ||
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists |
Also on our tabletop Sweetener lists |
|
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Sweetener | Sweetener |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Sweetener | Sweetener |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Carboxylic Acids, Amines, Aromatics, Esters, Amides | Aromatics, Amides |
| Oral LD50Measured HSDB via PubChem | Not recorded | 14,200 mg/kgpure saccharin, rat, oral |
| A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Sweetnessfrom sourceFDA
- Where each turns upfrom sourceMoleculeFinder food and product listsEach amount is an editorial figure from our lists, not a measurement of any one product. Each mark is set by hand on the list, never inferred.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Oral LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChem
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 134601 (Aspartame) and 5143 (Saccharin).
In more detail
Saccharin was discovered in 1879, a century before aspartame, and it is a small sulfur-containing ring at 183.19 against aspartame's 294.3. Saccharin is also the sweeter of the two, roughly 400 times sugar against 200, and it is the one with the metallic aftertaste that shows up at higher concentrations. Aspartame breaks down with heat and cannot be baked with; saccharin is stable and can. The reported oral LD50 for saccharin is 14200 mg/kg in rats, which is very high, and much of saccharin's reputation traces to a 1970s rat bladder study whose mechanism turned out not to apply to people. Aspartame's constraint is different and specific: it delivers phenylalanine.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Aspartame and Saccharin?
- Saccharin is the older, smaller and sweeter molecule and survives baking, while aspartame is a dipeptide that heat breaks down and that delivers phenylalanine.
- Is Aspartame bigger than Saccharin?
- Aspartame is the heavier molecule, 294.3 g/mol against 183.19 g/mol for Saccharin. Aspartame is C14H18N2O5 and Saccharin is C7H5NO3S.
- Is Aspartame sweeter than Saccharin?
- Saccharin is the sweeter of the two, about 400 times as sweet as table sugar against about 200 times for Aspartame. Sweetness here is measured against sucrose, which is defined as 1.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.