Question

sodium chloride and sugar are both white crystalline solids. How do you distinguish each other using a polarized microscope between crossed polars

Answer 1

Sodium chloride is a Salt where as a Sugar is a carbohydrate.

Both are soluble in water, where as Sugar miscible with water and exhibit optical activity.

Sodium chloride split into ions in water and exist as discrete units.Theses ions can't exhibit optical activity.

With the help of polarized microscope, sugar shows optical activity where as sodium chloride can't exhibit optical activity.

Based on optical activity , we can differenciate sodium chloride and sugar.