ISOLATION OF CAFFEINE FROM TEA

Introduction

Caffeine (C8H10N4O2), a central nervous system stimulant of the methylxanthine class

(Nelhig et al, 1992), is a bitter substance found in coffee, tea, soft drinks and certain medicines.

It is an alkaloid substance with a cyclic backbone analogous to the purine structures of DNA,

giving it the ability to reversibly blocks the action of adenosine on its receptor and consequently

prevents the onset of drowsiness induced by adenosine. Alkaloids are nitrogen-containing

compounds that are derived from plants and they usually play a role in physiological activity

(Trimble, 2014).

Caffeine is a polar molecule which was indicated by the presence of

London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, and hydrogen

bonding when in water. Just like other alkaloids, its basic property comes

from the lone pair of electrons found on at least one nitrogen (Figure 1
Figure 1.
shows its structure). The nitrogen present controls caffeines solubility. Acidic
Structure of Caffeine
conditions will form the conjugate acid salt giving caffeine increased water solubility as a cation

while basic conditions will make caffeine take its neutral form and is only somewhat polar

(Postu, 2013).

For almost 2,000 years, tea has been consumed as a beverage in China and it has spread

worldwide. It is produced by steeping in freshly boiled water the young leaves and leaf buds of

the tea plant, Camellia sinensis (Trimble, 2014).

Tea leaves consist mostly of cellulose, a water-insoluble polymer of glucose, which is a

simple sugar. Cellulose performs a function as structure building material. According to The
Fragrant Leaf (2012), the average tea leaves contain 3% caffeine, although it can range from 1.4

% to 4.5%. Along with caffeine, tea also contain organic substances called tannins (phenolic

compounds that have an -OH directly bonded to an aromatic ring), or gallic acid (Trimble,

2014).

In the experiment, the first procedure done was salting out the caffeine. Salting out is a

purification process wherein the solubility of certain molecules are reduced by making the

solution very highly ioinic (Salting out, 2016). Extraction was also utilized which is a method

to separate organic compounds from a mixture of compounds (Murray, 1995). This technique

selectively dissolves one or more compounds into an appropriate solvent. The solution of these

dissolved compounds is referred to as the extract (Extraction of Caffeine from Tea, 2011).

There are several criteria for choosing an extraction solvent. First, the desired compound to

be isolated must be soluble in the extraction solvent. Second, the extraction solvent must be

nonreactive. Third, the extraction solvent must be immiscible with the substrate solvent. Fourth,

the extraction solvent must be easily removed, usually be evaporation. Low boiling solvent are

favoured (Extraction of Caffeine from Tea, 2011). Dichloromethane, (CH2CL2), a colorless

organic compound, has all of these properties which makes it a suitable solvent with caffeine.

Caffeine is more soluble in dichloromethane (140 mg/ml) than it is in water (22 mg/ml)

(Extraction of Caffeine from Tea, n.d.).