CHEMISTRY PROJECT

TOPIC : COMPARE THE CAFFEINE CONTENT OF THE DIFFERENT

SAMPLES OF TEA
 INDEX

S.NO TOPIC PAGE NUMBER

INTRODUCTION 1
1

DISCOVERY OF CAFFEINE
2 2

STRUCTURE OF CAFFEINE
3 3

AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT 4

4

5 APPARATUS 5

PROCEDURE
6
6

OBSERVATIONS
7 7

8 RESULT 8

9 FUTURE SCOPE 9

10 BIBLIOGRAPHY 10
 INTRODUCTION

Tea promotes health but at the same time it causes health problems due to its caffeine content

Thus, to be reap the benefits of tea and at the same time minimize the adverse effects of caffeine

tea must be consumed at the lowest possible amount. There are many tea brands are present now a

days but all are not similar, it differs based upon the availability, colour , texture, quality and cost.

The caffeine levels also differ in individual tea powders. Keep in mind that different people react

differently to caffeine, so an amount that is safe for one person may not be healthy for everyone.

Caffeine has the ability to increase heart rate ,blood pressure and basal metabolic rate (BMR)for

several hours. Despite all the goodness of the drinking tea, the negative effects of caffeine cannot

be ignored. Caffeine can cause insomnia, headache, nervousness and dizziness when we consume

it in high doses. It also causes addiction towards many drinks like tea. Caffeine ,a plant–based

alkaloid can be found in tea ,coffee and cocoa . Tea a popular drink among all ages

is rich in polyphenolic flavonoids which have strong antixidant properties despites containing

caffeine. Flavonoids play a role in preventing cancer by protecting cell from free radical damage.

It also helps in keeping the heart healthy and research in Europe shows that drinking three or more

cups of tea per day reduces the risk of heart diseases.

1
 DISCOVERY OF CAFFEINE

Runge was born outside of Hamburg on this day in 1795. The son of a Lutheran pastor, he

expressed interest in chemistry from an early age and began conducting experiments as a teenager.

During one such experiment, Runge accidentally splashed a drop of belladonna extract in his eye,

taking note of its pupil-dilating effects. Ten years later, while studying under renowned chemist

and inventor Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner at the University of Jena, Runge was asked to

reproduce belladonna’s effects as part of a demonstration for one of Döbereiner’s friends: the

writer and polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Impressed by the 25-year-old chemist, Goethe

handed Runge a bag of rare coffee beans and suggested he analyze their chemical makeup. Shortly

thereafter, Runge isolated the active ingredient we know today as caffeine.

FIGURE 1.1 : GOOGLE'S TRIBUTE TO RUNGE

2
 THE STRUCTURE OF CAFFEINE

The medical name, derived from its molecular structure, is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine. The chemical

is also known as caffeine, theine, mateine, guaranine, or methyltheobromine. Its chemical formula

is C8 H10 N4 O2. This means it is made of 8 carbon atoms, 10 hydrogen atoms, 4 nitrogen atoms,

and 2 oxygen atoms.

FIGURE 1.2 : THE STRUCTURE OF CAFFEINE

3
 AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT

The aim of this experiment is to compare the caffeine content of the different samples of tea.

FIGURE 1.3 : DIFFERENT BRANDS OF TEA

4
 APPARATUS

The apparatus and materials required for this experiment are as follows:

Beakers

Conical flasks

Heating arrangement

Different samples of Tea

Sulphuric Acid

Chloroform

FIGURE 1.4 : SULPHURIC ACID FIGURE 1.5 : CHLOROFORM

FIGURE 1.6 : BEAKER FIGURE 1.7 : CONICAL FLASK

5
 PROCEDURE

Weigh 10 g of each of the given samples of tea leaves.

Take 100 ml of distilled water in a 400 ml beaker and boil it.

Then add the first sample of tea leaves to it and boil for 10 minutes.

Cool and filter the solution.

To the filtrate add about 2 g of solid calcium carbonate and boil the contents.

Tannic acid gets precipitated as calcium tannate.

Separate the precipitate of calcium tannate by filtration.

To the filtrate add about 1 ml of dilute sulphuric acid.

Lead gets precipitated as lead acetate.

Remove the precipitae by filtration and extract the filtrate with chloroform 3-4 times.

Combine the chloroform extracts and remove the solvent by heating on a steam bath.

The residue left behind is caffeine.

Weigh the residue which is left behind.

Similarily, determine the amount of caffeine in other samples of tea.

FIGURE 1.8 : TEA LEAVES

6
 OBSERVATIONS

Brand name of Weight of tea Weight of caffeine % of caffeine = y/x

S.No the tea leaves taken (x g) obtained (y g) *100

1 Taj Mahal 10 g 0.20 g 2 %

2 Chakra Gold 10 g 0.10 g

1 %

3 3 Roses 10 g 0.13 g 1.3 %

4 Red Label 10 g 0.24 g 2.4 %

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
Taj Mahal Chakra Gold 3 Roses Red Label

7
 RESULT

Among the four tea brands which have been taken, Red Label has the highest amount of caffeine.

Therefore, Red Label is much more tastier as compared to the other tea brands. Whereas Chakra

Gold has the least amount of caffeine as compared to the other tea brands. Thus, we can say that

Chakra Gold is less tastier than the other tea brands.

8
 FUTURE SCOPE

Caffeine may have many uses in the near future. Caffeine pills are now used by athletes as

performance enhancement supplements. In the future this practise may be increased and used by

athletes and non-athletes alike. But caffeine also has many side effects when taken in large

quantities. Some of them being diabetes, heart conditions, etc. Thus caffeine must be taken in safe

quantities so our health does not get affected.

9
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.ijpsr.info/docs/IJPSR14-05-08-006.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212857/

Caffeine: Chemistry, Analysis, Function and Effects

Edited by Victor R. Preedy

Caffeine for Sports Performance

Book by Louise Burke

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