Caffeine Lab Report

Caffeine is a mild stimulant that occurs naturally in at least 63 plant species. Caffeine can be found in the leaves, stems, seeds, and roots of these various plants. Caffeine is part of the methylxanthine family. It consists of a xanthine molecule with three methyl groups attached to it. Caffeine can be found in many products like sodas, tea, and coffee, but it also occurs in several other products such as prescription medications, diuretics, and pain relievers. Caffeine’s widespread use and popularity have caused many people to view the substance as an addictive drug. Thus making caffeine the most inexpensive and readily available drug known to man. Then on the other hand there are

Components containing caffeine were composed into stock solutions. These solutions were diluted to 1: 10 substance: mobile phase. A stock solution of caffeine was diluted 1:50. A sequence of diluted caffeine solutions were prepared for use as a standard (ppm): 1, 2, 4, and 10. Solutions of acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid, and Goody’s Powder were developed to differentiate chromatographic peaks observed. These solutions were subjected to HPLC for examination of the observed peak area and retention time for the set of compounds. Comparison of retention time allowed for the differentiation of peaks observed. The peak area obtained was utilized to determine the relative concentration of caffeine present in Goody’s Powder based on the relationship obtained in the standard. The content of caffeine present in Goody’s Powder by percent weight was identified.

Many manufactures release the caffeine content of their products publically, but not always, and new products and flavors are continuously introduced to the market. If quality checks are not performed, manufactures may alter the caffeine and benzoic acid content to suit the demands without public knowledge. To ensure the levels of caffeine and benzoic acid in products do not exceed the established safe limits and to inform the public of the amount of these compounds being consumed, various methods of analysis have been performed. Before the introduction of modern techniques, spectrophotometric methods alone were used to determine concentration of a compound in a mixture.6 The caffeine content in coffee, tea, soft drink, and energy drinks were determined using an immunoassay.7 The caffeine content in mixtures also used to have to be extracted before quantification.8

On May 6th, 2014, an article based on an experiment facilitated by Prof. A. Walsh that discusses the role of dissolved cations in coffee extraction, was published. This experiment was inspired by the idea that coffee beans contain flavorsome compounds that are acids, salts, and aprotic charge neutral atoms and the extraction of these organic molecules depends on the mineral content of the water. Water itself contains many minerals, which are referred to as “impurities”. The impurities that were tested in this experiment were Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+. To discover the affects of water impurities in coffee extraction and composition, the experimenters observed the thermodynamic binding energies of 5 coffee acids, caffeine, and eugenol. The objective of these tests is to determine the effects of the characteristics of mineral composition in water to the extraction of dissolved cations in

Coffee is often used by many individuals as a stimulus to stay more alert when preforming tasks but it may not have the same effects on individuals with depression. The overproduction of the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine has been associated with people with depression. Active research have correlated high acetylcholine levels in the brain to increase depression like symptoms in healthy individuals and individuals with bipolar disorder. Other stimuli such as caffeine have been studied to determine an increase risked of depression by using dose-response methods in people who have experience depression in their lifetime. In this experiment the effects of acetylcholine and caffeine on the heart rate of a ghost shrimp, Palaemonetes, were tested to determine if the combination of these

Materials and Methods The planaria were placed in 1 petri dish, 18ml of pond water for storage, after the collection. The planaria were separated into groups designated by a labeled petri dish. 1 planaria group was placed in a petri dish filled with 18ml of pond water. Another group, the control group was placed in another petri dish prepared in the same fashion. Each group of planaria was fed each Friday, although most of the first group died from unclean dishes, human error, which necessitated the sampling of a second group.

In Accordance to our survey question number 13 asks when should the drug be stopped? There where 78 responders 53 responders (67.95 %) replied tachycardia, 6 responders replied vomiting (7.69%), 12 responders (15.38%) replied feeding intolerance, 8 responders replied jitteriness(10.26%) and the 21 responded other. Moreover, the respondents that replied other had Tachycardia as the highest number thus this accounts for the highest overall respondents which believed that the drug must be stopped if the caffeine cause the heart rate to increase more than 200bpm. 4 respondents said necrotizing entercolitis (NEC) was the primary reason the drug should be stopped. Followed by two respondents that said both tachycardia >200bpm and NEC.

One of the primary reasons for coffee’s popularity is the high dosage of caffeine it contains. However, what about those who wish to have their cup of joe without the extra surge of energy? Those people will most likely opt for a cup of decaffeinated coffee, which has been stripped away of its caffeine, while keeping its flavor intact. The process of decaffeination is one that involves many of the common principles of chemistry, such as equilibrium and solute/solvent properties26.

Caffeine is a natural boost found in tea,coffee,and cacao plants, a drug. Most people rely on caffeine for a wake up call, it helps you stay awake for the most part. Some people aren't allowed to have caffeine or just don't want that much caffeine in their tea/drinks so they could drink it without getting hyper, and too much can make you tired instead of awaken you.

Chemistry: 1Caffeine was first isolated in 1819 by a German scientist by the name of Friedrich Ferdinand. Its molecular formulae is C8H10N4O2 and caffeine is the common name given for 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine. Caffeine is placed in a group called alkaloids this term is used to classify substances that are end products of the nitrogen metabolism in certain plants. It is soluble in many organic diluters and in water, when in pure form caffeine appears as white crystals. Caffeine is extracted for consumer purposes from natural sources such as plants or from uric acid through a process called synthesis.

Caffeine is found in tea and coffee. The physiological effect of caffeine increased heart rate. Caffeine excites the receptors within your heart to work faster by blocking the enzyme phosphodiesterace. Heart rate is kept normal by these phosphodiesterace. Once phosphodiesterace is blocked, there is no longer effective and your heart rate increases. The psychological effect of caffeine is increased alertness. It helps you to feel more awake and less tired, so it is used for medication to treat drowsiness. Caffeine’s psychological effect is that caffeine mimics the neurochemical called adenosine. Caffeine mimics the shape, size of the adenosine and enters the receptor without stimulating them. Then caffeine blocks the receptors and allows the other stimulants such as dopamine and glutamate to work freely while the caffeine holds the

Many of us find ourselves drinking a freshly brewed cup of coffee, an ice cold soft drink, a hot cup of tea, or an energy drink whether it be in the morning, afternoon, or in the night but one thing is that they all share a common ingredient: Caffeine

Coffee is made up of many constituents, these being: caffeine, trigonelline, carbohydrates, chlorogenic acids, lipids, amino acids, organic acids, melanoidins, volatile aroma, ash and others that are unknown. Only one of these components is the reason to why coffee contains the energetic effect that so many people seek. This component is caffeine.

So what is caffeine and where do you find it? According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, it is "a bitter alkaloid C8H10N4O2 found especially in coffee, tea, and kola nuts and used medicinally as a stimulant and diuretic," (Merriam-Webster). It can be found in foods such as chocolate, cappuccino frozen yogurt and mocha cheesecake. Surprisingly enough, it can also be found in beverages such as Sunkist Orange Soda, Mountain Dew and Jolt.

Caffeine is soluble in boiling water and as a result it is easily extracted from tea bags by steeping in hot water. This process leaves behind the water insoluble portions of the tea bag. However, water extracts more than just caffeine, so a final separation is done with an organic solvent that will dissolve primarily caffeine. The organic solvent used in this experiment is Dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂). Dichloromethane is less polar than water and this difference in polarity allows the separation. Extraction of the tea with the Dichloromethane, followed by evaporation of the organic solvent leaves crude caffeine, which on sublimation yields a relatively pure product. Sublimation is