Table sugar stirred into coffee disappears as it dissolves. Which feature of sucrose molecules accounts for this behavior?

Core Concept

Sucrose bristles with eight hydroxyl groups, each carrying a polar O-H bond. Water molecules surround the sugar and hydrogen-bond to these sites, an interaction energetically comparable to the water-water contacts they replace. Freed from the crystal and wrapped in hydration shells, individual molecules scatter uniformly through the liquid. Substances lacking polar or charged sites, such as cooking oil, receive no such welcome and refuse to dissolve.