Org Chem I
Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
“This Caffeine Extraction lab is Tea-riffic!”
1
Merrit DeBartolo, Fall 2002
Tea and coffee have been popular beverages for centuries, primarily because they contain the stimulant caffeine. It
stimulates respiration, the heart, and the central nervous system, and is a diuretic (promotes urination). It can cause
nervousness and insomnia and, like many drugs, can be addictive, making it difficult to reduce the daily dose. A
regular coffee drinker who consumes just four cups per day can experience headache, insomnia, and even nausea
upon with drawl from the drug. On the other hand, it helps people to pay attention and can sharpen moderately
complex mental skills as well as prolong the ability to exercise.
Caffeine may be the most widely used and abused drug in the United States. During the course of the day
an average person may unwittingly consume up to a gram of this substance. The caffeine content of some
common foods and drugs is given in table below.
Caffeine Content of Common Foods and Drugs
Espresso
120 mg per 2 oz
Coffee, regular, brewed
103 mg per cup
Instant coffee
57 mg per cup
Coffee, decaffeinated
2 to 4 mg per cup
Tea
30 to 75 mg per cup
Cocoa
5 to 40 mg per cup
Milk Chocolate
6 mg per oz
Baking Chocolate
35 mg per oz
Coca-Cola, Classic
46 mg per 12 oz
Jolt Cola
72 mg per 12 oz
Anacin, Bromo-Seltzer, Midol
32mg per pill
Excedrin, Extra Strength
65 mg per pill
Dexatrim, Dietac, Vivarin
200 mg per pill
Dristan
16 mg per pill
No-Doz
100mg per pill
Caffeine belongs to a large class of compounds known as
alkaloids. These are of plant origin, contain basic nitrogen,
often have a bitter taste and complex structure, and usually
physiological activity. Their names usually end in “ine”;
many are quite familiar by name if not chemical structurenicotine, cocaine, morphine, strychnine.
O
H3C
CH3
C
N
C
C
C
have
N
CH
Caffeine
O
N
N
Tea leaves contain tannins, which are acidic, as well as
a number
of colored compounds and a small amount of
CH3
undecomposed chlorophyll (soluble in
dichloromethane). To ensure that the acidic substances remain water soluble and that the caffeine will
be present as the free base, sodium carbonate is added to the extraction medium.
The solubility of caffeine in water is 2.2 mg/mL at 25C, 180 mg/mL at 80C, and 670 mg/mL at 100C.
It is quite soluble in dichloromethane, the solvent used in this experiment to extract the caffeine from
water.
Org Chem I
Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
2
Caffeine can be extracted easily from tea bags. The procedure one would use to make a cup of tea simply “steeping” the tea with very hot water for a few minutes - extracts most of the caffeine. Since
caffeine is white, slightly bitter, odorless, crystalline solid, it is obvious that water extracts more than just
caffeine. When the brown aqueous solution is subsequently extracted with dichloromethane, primarily
caffeine dissolves in the organic solvent. Evaporation of the solvent leaves crude caffeine, which on
sublimation yields a relatively pure product.
When the concentrated tea solution is extracted with dichloromethane, emulsion can form very easily.
There are substances in tea that cause small droplets of the organic layer to remain suspended in the
aqueous layer. This emulsion formation results from vigorous shaking.
Brewing and filtration
Insoluble Cellular
Material
Tea
(caffeine)
Liquid/liquid extraction
CH2Cl2
Caffeine
Non-polar
molecules
Aqueous Na2CO3
Tannin and
organic salts
Evaporate CH2Cl2
Caffeine
O
H3C
O
CH 3
N
N
N
CH 3
N
Org Chem I
Procedure:
Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
3
A. Crude Caffeine:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Obtain and weigh 5 tea bags.
Add 5 tea bags, 2 g of sodium carbonate, and about 200 mL tap water to a 400 mL beaker.
Heat the water to a vigorous boil with a hot plate. Stir to dissolve Na2CO3
Allow the mixture to cool for 5 min, and then decant into another beaker.
Gently squeeze the tea bags to liberate the rest of the water.


Cool the aqueous solution to near room temperature.
Continue cooling in an ice bath. Your tea must be cool (about 20 C) before coming in
contact with dichloromethane (boiling point = 40 C).
Dichloromethane will irritate your bare skin. Always wear gloves when working with CH2Cl2

Extract the solution three times with 30-mL portions of dichloromethane (CH2Cl2). Do not get
dichloromethane on your hands. Take great care not to shake the separatory funnel so vigorously
as to cause emulsion formation, bearing in mind that if it is not shaken vigorously enough the
caffeine will not be extracted into the organic layer. Use a gentle rocking motion of the
separatory funnel. Take you time. Save and combine the dichloromethane extracts after each
extraction.
- the steps of extraction are
a) pour in 30 mL of dichloromethane.
b) Stopper the separatory funnel.
c) Keep your fingers on the stopper and carefully shake the sep funnel.
d) Vent the sep funnel periodically with the spigot pointing away from you to relieve gas pressure.
e) When the contents have been sufficiently shaken put the sep funnel back on the ring stand and let
the two layers separate out.
f) Remove the stopper.
g) Drain the bottom layer into a flask.
h) Repeat steps a) through g) two more times.
Dry the combined dichloromethane solutions and any emulsion layer with anhydrous Sodium
Carbonate (Na2CO3). Add sufficient drying agent until it no longer clumps together on the
bottom of the flask – about 1 teaspoon usually works well.




Carefully gravity filter the dichloromethane solution into a tared (previously weighed) beaker.
Evaporate the CH2Cl2 solvent in a hot water bath in the hood. A wooden stick works better
than a boiling chip to promote smooth boiling because it is easily removed once the solvent is
gone.
When all the solvent is removed you should observe a residue of greenish-white crystalline
caffeine.
Weigh the beaker plus crude caffeine. You can calculate the mass of your crude caffeine.
Org Chem I




Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
4
Dispose of used dichloromethane in the liquid hazardous waste container.
The tea leaves go in the nonhazardous solid waste container.
The aqueous layer goes into the liquid hazardous waste container.
The drying agent can be placed in the solid hazardous waste container.
B. TLC of crude caffeine. (Remember our first experiment?)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Prepare a TLC chamber with a dichloromethane/methanol solvent system.
Dissolve a small amount of your crude caffeine in a few drops of dichloromethane.
Spot a TLC plate with your crude caffeine and the caffeine standard.
Develop and visualize under a UV light.
Calculate the Rf value of caffeine and any other compounds that show up on the TLC plate.
C. Preparation of UV-vis and HPLC sample
Hand in about half of your recovered caffeine in a properly labeled vial:
1) your name, 2) contents of vial [crude caffeine from tea], and 3) date
This will be analyzed by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and UV-vis spectroscopy
UV-vis spectrum of caffeine in methanol:
Org Chem I
Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
5
D. Sublimation of Caffeine
Sublimation is a fast and easy way to purify caffeine. Set up the apparatus depicted below. Use
the rest of your crude caffeine left over from part C. If you do not have much substance, combine
yours with your hood-mate. Place the dry caffeine powder at the bottom of the flask. Fill the test
tube with crushed ice. The bottom of the test tube should rest about 1 cm from the bottom of the
filter flask. The test tube and flask should be clean and dry.
Sublime the crude caffeine at atmospheric pressure by placing the flask directly on a pre-heated
hot plate. Caffeine melts at 238C and sublimes at 178C.
Surfing the Web-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://domin.dom.edu/faculty/jbfriesen/chem253lab/caflab/caflab.htm Several photos of the Dominican University
“extraction of caffeine from tea” by those brave souls who have gone before you.
http://ull.chemistry.uakron.edu/organic_lab/cola/ The extraction of caffeine from 10 mL of cola syrup (Experiment
4) is very clearly demonstrated in 14 color photos.
Tea, although an Oriental,
Is a gentleman at least;
Cocoa is a cad and coward,
Cocoa is a vulgar beast.
G. K. Chesterton, The Song of Right and Wrong
Org Chem I
Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
6
Ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of Caffeine
Caffeine absorbs ultraviolet radiation between 200 and 300 nanometers. This physical property of
caffeine can be used to 1) detect the presence of caffeine in a mixture, 2) quantify the amount of
caffeine in a solution. Below are some typical UV spectra of:
I. Tea, II. Tea after extraction of caffeine, III. Crude caffeine extracted from tea, and IV. (purified)
Caffeine standard.
6
Tea
5
Absorbacne
4
3
2
1
0
210
6
220
230
240
250
wavelength in nanometers
260
270
280
290
300
280
290
300
280
290
300
280
290
300
Tea after extraction with dichloromethane
5
Absorbacne
4
3
2
1
0
210
220
3.5
230
240
250
wavelength in nanometers
260
270
Crude caffeine extracted from tea
3
Absorbacne
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
210
220
230
3
240
250
wavelength in nanometers
260
270
(purified) Caffeine standard
2.5
Absorbacne
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
210
220
230
240
250
wavelength in nanometers
260
270
Org Chem I
Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
7
High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) of Caffeine
Caffeine can be detected by column chromatography method that is similar to the Thin Layer
Chromatography we do in lab. In this case instead of a visible “spot,” each can be seen as a
“peak.”
Tea
263.95
Caffeine
243.95
 Caffeine
223.95
203.95
183.95
163.95
143.95
123.95
103.95
83.95
63.95
43.95
23.95
3.95
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
7 .0
8 .0
9 .0
1 0 .0
1 1 .0
1 2 .0
1 3 .0
283.95
Tea after
extracted
extraction
with dichloromethane
with dichloromethane
263.95
243.95
223.95
203.95
183.95
163.95
143.95
123.95
103.95
Ca ffe ine
83.95
63.95
43.95
23.95
3.95
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
493.95
Ca ffe ine
Caffeine extracted
from tea
443.95
393.95
 Caffeine
343.95
293.95
243.95
193.95
143.95
93.95
43.95
-6.05
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
3 9 3 .9 5
Ca ffe ine
3 4 3 .9 5
(purified) Caffeine
standard
2 9 3 .9 5
 Caffeine
2 4 3 .9 5
1 9 3 .9 5
1 4 3 .9 5
9 3 .9 5
4 3 .9 5
-6 .0 5
0 .0
1 .0
2 .0
3 .0
4 .0
5 .0
6 .0
Org Chem I Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
8
Checklist for completing the "Prelab" section: (refer to Laboratory Syllabus for complete directions)
____ Title and date
____ Purpose. (1 point) Refer to procedure
Physical constants. (1 point) Create a table of physical constants, solubility, and safety data for:
____ caffeine
____ dichoromethane (methylene chloride)
____ methanol
____ sodium carbonate
____ references
Structures and equations. (none)
___ Flowchart. (1 point) Refer to "Procedure"
___ Calculations. (1 point) If you assume that one teabag makes one cup of tea, about how much
caffeine would you expect to extract in this experiment? (Refer to the table on the 1st page.) Show
your calculations.
___ (1 point) Caffeine has a molecular formula of C8H10N4O2. Both the oxygen and nitrogen are
electronegative atoms whose presence usually would indicate that the molecule is soluble in water.
Why is caffeine more soluble in dichloromethane than (slightly basic) water?
____ Safety Question: (1 point) Dichloromethane is considered to be a volatile respiratory
irritant. What two precautions may you take to keep dichloromethane vapors out of your lungs?
Experimental Observations and Data:
Hand in a copy of your experimental observations and data before you leave lab.
Experimental Observations. (4 points)
___ What was the appearance of each reagent?
___ Mass of Na2CO3 used.
___ What squeezing method did you use?
___ What was the volume of tea at the beginning of your extractions?
___ What did extractions look like?
___ What is the total volume of dichloromethane after extractions?
___ Have you clearly labeled parts A, B, C & D?
___ What were the results of TLC? Calculate Rf values. Trace slide into notebook. Label clearly
___ How did the appearance of the crude caffeine differ from the sublimed?
___ Did you record interesting sights and smells?
Data
___ Record the mass of your tea bags.
___ Record the mass of string, bag and staple (use “class data”)
___ Record the mass of your crude caffeine.
Org Chem I
Experiment 5 - Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
Lab Report Checklist:
9
Lab report is due on week after completion of the lab.
Results.
___ (1 point) Calculate the percent yield of caffeine from tea. Show your calculations.
(mass of crude caffeine x 100 /mass of tea leaves)
___ (1 point) Report your Rf values from your TLC experiment.
___ (1 point) Compare the “student sample” UV spectrum with the UV spectrum of pure
caffeine. Both can be found on the CHEM253 webpage. What are at least two similarities?
What are at least two differences?
___ (1 point) Compare the “student sample” HPLC chromatogram with the HPLC chromatogram
of pure caffeine. Both can be found on the CHEM253 webpage. What are at least two
similarities? What are at least two differences?
___ (1 point) Consider the UV spectra on page 6. What evidence is there that caffeine is
extracted from tea with dichloromethane?
___ (1 point) Consider the HPLC chromatograms on page 7. What evidence is there that caffeine
is extracted from tea with dichloromethane?
Discussion and Conclusion.
____ (1 point) How did your yield compare with your calculations in the prelab? Explain why your
observed results (at least 2 reasons) might have been different than the “theoretical yield.”
____ (1 point) What are two conclusions that you can draw from your TLC, HPLC, and UV
data?
_____ Green Question: (1 point) Dichloromethane is generally nasty stuff. What could be used
to replace dichloromethane in this procedure? Hint: Where does decaffeinated coffee
come from? Give sources please.
_____ (1 point) Are you a caffeine user? What effect does caffeine have on you?