Most of the definitions I can find (Wikipedia, for example) say they are either plant derived or chemically derived, but what plants? What chemicals?
In: Chemistry
There’s a bunch, which is why it’s vague. Anything that can chemically set off our sweet tastebuds could, in theory, be considered a sweetener. Artificial sweeteners are generally those things that taste sweet and are safe to eat but can’t be used as fuel by our bodies, so they have little/no calories.
Aspartame is one of the oldest and best known (sold as NutraSweet and Equal, among other names). It’s purely chemical synthesis. Saccharine (Sweet’n’Low) is another like this.
Sucralose is another (trade name Splenda) that’s made from regular sucrose (normal sugar). So you can start from any plant that makes sucrose, like sugar cane or sugar beets, and then you chemically process it into sucralose.
There are many others. Mayo Clinic has a good list of the current FDA approved sugar substitutes: [Artificial sweeteners and other sugar substitutes – Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936)
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