Extraction of Caffeine from Tea Leaves

Brigette L. Balaguer, Agatha Corinne L. Banaag, Mary Jeresse C. Bauzon*, and Kyle D. Bernal
Department of Chemistry, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines

Abstract
Caffeine is a member of the class of compound called alkaloids. Alkaloids are nitrogen-containing basic
compounds that are found in plants. They are usually bitter in taste and often they are physiologically active
in humans. Tea, is one of the known beverage that contains caffeine, although it may not be as many caffeine
like the coffee.
In the experiment, the caffeine is extracted from the tea leaves of the Lipton tea bags, and was stored in a
vial. The percentage yield of the caffeine is 0.237%.

Introduction
Originally called "theine", caffeine was first discovered in tea in 1827. It was later shown that the "theine"
of tea was identical with the caffeine of coffee, and the term "theine" was then dropped. Caffeine is an
alkaloid stimulant. It stimulates the heart, respiration, the central nervous system, and is a diuretic. Its use
can cause side effects, like: nervousness, insomnia and headaches. Alkaloids are nitrogen- containing basic
compounds that are found in plants. They are usually colourless, crystalline compounds, insoluble in water
but solunle in organic solvents. They usually taste bitter and often are physiologically active in humans.
Caffeine belongs to a family of naturally occurring compounds known as xanthines. The xanthines, which
come from plants, are possibly the oldest known stimulants. Caffeine is the most powerful xanthine in its
ability to increase alertness, put off sleep and to increase ones capacity for thinking. It is a vasodilator
(relaxes the blood vessels) as well as a diuretic (increases urination). Caffeine does not exist alone in
tealeaves; the leaves are mainly cellulose, pigments and chlorophylls, and tannins. Tannins are phenolic
compounds of high molecular weight that have certain properties in common.
Tea is one of the known beverage that contains caffeine. It is native to upper Indochina and upper India, so
it must have been cultivated in these places before its introduction to China. Linnaeus named the tea shrub
Thea sinensis; however, tea is more properly a relative of the camellia, therefore botanists renamed the
shrub Camellia thea. On average, tea leaves contain 3% caffeine by weight, although this can range from
1.4% to 4.5%. Many factors determine the caffeine content in the dry leaf, such as soil chemistry, altitude,
type of tea plant, position of the leaf on the tea bush and cultivation practices. A the young bud and first
leaf generally have slightly more caffeine than leaves picked from the lower part of the tea bush. The leaves
from the small leaf China tea plant (Camellia sinensis) tend to have lower caffeine levels than the leaves
from the large leaf Assam tea plant (Camellia assamica). One factor that does not impact caffeine level is
the level of oxidation.

In the experiment the group should be able to isolate, purify and characterize caffeine from tea leaves; and
calculate the percentage yield of caffeine.

Results and Discussion

Table 3.1
Brand of Tea bag
Weight of Tea leaves
Volume of water used
Color of Aqueous Tea extract
Volume of CH2Cl2 used
Volume of 6M NaOH
Amount of anhyd. Na2SO4 used
Weight of empty evaporating dish
Weight of evaporating dish + extracted caffeine
% Yeild
Color and appearance of extracted caffeine

Lipton
11.0357 g
150 mL
Dark brown
60 mL
20 mL
1 spatula
106.6457 g
0.0261 g
0.237%
Light yellow powder

The Table 3.1 shows the recorded results of the caffeine. The table shows, the brand of the tea bags being
used, which was Lipton. The weighed tea leaves, including the pre-weighed beaker, 104.5613 g, was
measured in an analytical balance, 115.590 g. Therefore, in order to get the actual weight of the tea leaves,
the weighed tea leaves in the beaker is subtracted by the actual weight of the beaker.
Wt. of tea leaves = 115.590 g 104.5613 g = 11.0357 g
Although the tea bags contain broken leaves of smaller size, they produce an infusion with more caffeine
than loose tea does. This is also true of very fine loose tea. In comparison, the same volume of coffee yields
at least double the amount of caffeine [1]. The color of the aqueous tea extract is dark brown, the reason
behind this is that the leaves of the Lipton tea are easily oxidized. A fully oxidized tea would more
appropriately be termed a stale tea, a tea way beyond its shelf life. Oxidation in tea leaves does not affect
the caffeine [2].
Extraction is a method used for the separation of organic compound from a mixture of compound. This
technique selectively dissolves one or more compounds into an appropriate solvent. The solution of these
dissolved compounds is referred to as the extract. In the case of caffeine extraction from tea, the solubility
of caffeine in water can be 22mg/ml at 25C, 180mg/ml at 80C, and 670mg/ml at 100C[3].
Here the organic solvent dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) is used to extract caffeine from aqueous extract of tea
because caffeine is more soluble in dichloromethane than it is in water. The CH2Cl2 used in the experiment
is 60 mL, 20 mL per draining the lower layer. Although CH2Cl2 and chloroform (CHCl3) are practically
identical, compared to CHCl3, CH2Cl2 is used because it is much safer.

The 20 mL 6M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is used as residual water, it is separated from dichloromethane
by drain out the dichloromethane through separating funnel, thus CH2Cl2 passed through the funnel while
polar solvents such as water is still remains in the funnel. NaOH and CH2Cl2 is slightly soluble with each
other.
The of anhydrous sodium sulfate (anhyd. Na2SO4) is used for the removal of water from organic layer. Only
limited amount, 1 spatula, was used in the experiment because anhyd. Na2SO4 is an insoluble inorganic
solid which will absorb water, thus drying it [3].
The percentage yield (% yield) is by getting the weight of the evaporating dish and extracted caffeine,
dividing it to the weigh of the tea leaves multiplied by 100.
% yeild =

0.0261 g
x 100 = 0.237%
11.0357 g

Melting point is a way to know if the caffeine extracted from the tea leaves is pure or impure. Although,
this was not done in the experiment, it would still be included for it is in order for the students to know if
the caffeine they have extracted is pure, or the caffeine still have other components making it impure. The
melting point range of the caffeine is 235-237 C [4]. Therefore, the melting point should start at 235 C
and ends at 236 C, or it could start at 236 C and end at 237 C.

Experimental
The tea leaves inside of the Lipton tea bags were removed and placed in a pre-weighed 150-mL beaker.
The tea leaves were weighed in the analytical balance. After that, the tea leaves were put back inside the
tea bag and stapled. A 150 mL of distilled water was added in a 400-mL beaker. The beaker then was
boiled in a hot plate with the Lipton tea bags, and a watch glass on top of it. The tap water turned into a
dark brown color, indicating that the tea extract is complete in the first extraction, which is known as solidliquid extraction. The extracted liquid was cooled down by adding 3 pieces of ice cubes in it.
The second process of extraction, known as liquid-liquid extraction, begun after the tea extract was cooled
down and placed in a clean and dry separatory funnel. The liquid extract was added by a 20 mL of
dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) inside the separatory funnel, then swirled by a member of the group. Two layers
were distinguished after being swirled. Those to layers are the inorganic layer (top) and the organic layer
(bottom). The inorganic layer is the tea extract, and the organic layer is the CH2Cl2. The organic layer was
drained. The process of liquid extract added by 20 mL of CH2Cl2 is repeated three times. On the third drain
of the mixture, the third 20 mL of CH2Cl2 is then returned inside the separatory funnel with the tea extract,
then 20 mL of 6M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was added on it and swirled. The NaOH layer was drained
in a container and discarded, while the CH2Cl2 layer was drained in a 125-mL Erlenmeyer flask containing
one spatula of anhydrous sodium sulfate (anhyd. Na2SO4), then swirled.
The third and last process, which is the evaporation, done by the group was to extract the caffeine from the
liquid extract into solid. The swirled CH2Cl2 with one spatula of anhyd. Na2SO4 were placed in a pre-

weighed evaporating dish. The evaporating dish was placed on top of a 200-mL beaker with boiling tap
water. Then, the evaporation process is being occurred, the liquid extract turned into a light yellowish
powder-like substance. The evaporating dish was cooled down and weighed in the analytical balance. Then,
the powdered substance, the caffeine, was placed in a vial.

References
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