PROCEDURE

15g of tea leaves, 5 g of calcium carbonate powder and 200 ml of water will be added in a
600 ml beaker. The solution will be boiled on a hot plate for 20 minutes with occasionally
stirring. The solution will be cooled but it needs to be vacuum filtered through a Buncher
funnel using fast filter paper while it is still warm. The coffee beans then will be rinsed with
50 ml of water. Because the caffeine is in the aqueous layer, the filtrate needs to be pressed
out carefully and will be rinsed with 50 ml of water again.

The solution will be left cool to room temperature before pouring it into a 500 ml separatory
funnel and 35 ml of methylene chloride will be used to extract the sample. The separatory
funnel will be shaken vigorously in order to extract the caffeine. First, the pressure buildup
will be relieved as soon as the two liquids are mixed and shaken vigorously for 10 seconds
and relived the pressure then will be shaken twice until an emulsion is formed. The
methylene chloride layer will be drained slowly through a small amount of anhydrous
magnesium sulphate in a powder funnel with a loose cotton plug to break the emulsion
formed in the methylene chloride layer. The steps above will be repeated to collect the
lower layer after extracting the aqueous solution with 35 ml of methylene chloride. The
methylene chloride extracts will be combined and dried with additional anhydrous
magnesium sulphate if necessary.

A roto-evaporator will be used to strip the methylene chloride solution. A 100 ml rb flask
will be tare weigh and it will be filled with the dried methylene chloride solution. The
absence of magnesium sulphate in the solution will be confirmed. Stripping this solution to
dryness will take less than 5 minutes. A small amount of residue with a greenish tinge will be
left and obtain the weight of crude caffeine by difference. To dissolve the cured caffeine, 5
to 8 ml of hot acetone will be added, and the solution will be transferred to a 50 ml
Erlenmeyer flask for recrystallization. The solution will be cooled after adding a few drops of
petroleum ether until it reaches the cloud point. If the precipitate is not obtained, the
excess will be boiled carefully on a steam bat with a boiling stick. The caffeine will be suction
filtered using a small Hirsch funnel and petroleum ether as a transfer or rinse solvent. As the
solvent evaporates, a second crop of caffeine may form in the filtrate. This second crop can
also be vacuum filtered but keep it separate from the first crop. Each crop will be weighed
after air drying and the percentage of caffeine recovered from the coffee bean will be
recorded.