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THE SWISS CENTRAL SCHOOL

SENIOR SECONDARY
ELLUVILA

GRADE XI
XII

CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

2020-
2022-2023
2
DETERMINATION OF CAFFEINE
2021 IN TEA SAMPLES

Submitted by Submitted to

ANCY. A. S
Srushti dnyaneshwar bhagit
________________________________
Mrs K. SINDHU
Mr vishal sarode
__________________________
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CERTIFICATE
M

This is to certify that srushti

ANCY bhagit
A S , student of classXII
XI has
successfully completed their Chemistry Investigatory Project on
the topic “Determination Of Caffeine In Tea Samples” under
the guidance of Mrs K. Sindhu
mr vishal sarode during the year 2020-2021
2022-2023 in
partial fulfilment of chemistry practical examination conducted
by CBSE.

_____________________ _____________________

PRINCIPAL SUBJECT TEACHER

_______________________ ______________________

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

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VCV V

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude

to my teacher mr
Mrs Sindhu
vishal sarode as well as our principal Mr
mrsMathew
swati
Jacob who gave me the golden opportunity to do this
wonderful project on the topic “Amount Of Caffeine Present
In Different Tea Samples” which also helped me in doing a lot
of research and I came to know about so many new thigs I am
really thankful to them.
Secondly I would also like to thank my parents and
friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this project within
the limited time frame.
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CONTENTS
SL No. Topics
1 AIM

2 INTRODUCTION

3 USES OF CAFFEINE

4 EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE

5 THEORY

6 MATERIALS REQUIRED

7 PROCEDURE

8 OBSERVATION TABLE

9 RESULTS

10 PRECAUTIONS

11 CONCLUSION

12 BIBLIOGRAPHY
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AIM

To determine the amount of

Caffeine present in tea
samples
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INTRODUCTION
Tea is the most commonly and widely used soft
beverage in the household. It acts as a stimulant for CNS
and skeletal muscles. That is why tea removes fatigue,
tiredness, and headache. It also increases the capacity of
thinking. It is also used for lowering the body
temperature.
The principal constituent of Tea, which is
responsible for all these properties, is the alkaloid-
caffeine. The amount of caffeine in tea leaves varies from
sample to sample.
Caffeine constitute about 3% of the tea’s dry
weight. Tea also contain small amount of theobromine
and theophylline, which are stimulants and xanthines
similar to caffeine
Studies have found that the caffeine contents of
1 kg black tea ranged from 22-28 mg while in green tea
ranges from 11 – 22 mg reflecting a significant difference
between the two.
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USES OF CAFFEINE
1) In medicine, it is used to stimulates Central
Nervous System and to increase flow of urine.
2) Because of its stimulating effects, caffeine has
been used to relieve fatigue. But it is dangerous and
one may collapse if not consumes it under certain
limit.
3) Caffeine is also used in analgesic tablets, as it is
believed to be a pain reliever. It is also beneficial in
migraines.
4) Used to restore mental alertness.
5) In certain dietary supplements used for weight
loss, and in many popular energy drinks.
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EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE
POSITIVE EFFECTS
1) Caffeine has been shown to increase the
metabolic rate and blocks the tiredness signal
receptors
2) Low dose of caffeine shows increased alertness
and decreased fatigue.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
1) Caffeine can increase blood pressure in non-
habitual consumers.
2) Caffeine withdrawn and sleep can produce
headache, fatigue and decreased alertness.
3) High doses of Caffeine (300 mg) can cause
anxiety.
4) Caffeine can disrupt sleep and reduce blood flow
to the brain in most people.
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THEORY
The most important methylated alkaloid that
occurs naturally is caffeine.
 Its molecular formula is: C8H10N4O2
 IUPAC name :1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
 Molecular weight :194.19 g/mol
 Molecular structure :

 Melting point :460 oF

 Boiling point :352 oF
 Appears as odorless white powder or white glistening
needles.
 Its taste is bitter.
 Solutions in water are neutral to litmus.
 When heated to decomposition, it emits fumes of
nitrogen oxides.
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MATERIALS REQUIRED

Green Label Tea

Yellow Label Tea
Red Label Tea
Lead acetate
Chloroform
Beakers
Glass rod
Filter paper
Funnel
Water
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PROCEDURE
 First of all, 50 grams of tea leaves were taken as
sample and 150 ml of water was added to it in a
beaker.
 Then the beaker was heated up to extreme boiling.
 The solution was filtered and lead acetate was
added to the filtrater, leading to the formation of a
curdy brown coloured precipitate.
 We kept on adding lead acetate till no more
precipitate has been formed.
 Again solution was filtered.
 Now the filtrate so obtained was heated until it
had become 50 ml.
 Then the solution left was allowed to cool.
 After that, 20 ml. of chloroform was added to it.
 Soon after, two layers appeared in the separating
funnel.
 The residue left behind was caffeine.
 Then we weighed it and recorded the
observations.
 Similar procedure was performed with different
samples of tealeaves and quantity of caffeine was
observed in them.
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OBSERVATION TABLE

Tea samples

Red Label Yellow Label Green Label

Weight of china dish 46.60 gms 46.60 gms 46.60 gms

Weight of china dish

47.20 gms 47.15 gms 47.05 gms
with precipitate

Amount of Caffeine 0.60 gms 0.55 gms 0.45 gms

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RESULTS
Experimentally we found out that :-
i. 50 gm of Red Label Tea has 600 mg amount of
Caffeine present in it.
ii. 50 gm of Yellow Label Tea has 550 mg amount of
Caffeine present in it.
iii. 50 gm of Green Label Tea has 450 mg amount of
Caffeine present in it.

Hence,
Order of quantities of Caffeine in different samples of
tea are :-
Red Label > Yellow Label > Green Label
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Graphically plotting various tea samples in

accordance with the amount of caffeine present
in them we present a stunning find:
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PRECAUTIONS
1. Chloroform should not be inhaled directly for a
larger period of time.

2. Test tubes and glass apparatus should be handled

with care.

3. Care must be taken which heating the samples.

4. Reading must be taken accurately.

5. There should not be any error in the apparatus.

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CONCLUSION
The content of caffeine varies depending on
tea type, which is directly attributed to their processing
and leaf maturity. White tea, made from the youngest
tea leaves contained the highest caffeine content, and
mate and roasted mate tea, the lowest. The
spectrophotometric micro method proved to be the
best alternative for the determination of caffeine
content, exhibiting the most similar results to the HPLC
analysis. According to the obtained results, all studied
teas exhibited high antioxidant capacity, as opposed to
caffeine, indicating that the contribution of caffeine to
the antioxidant properties of these beverages is
irrelevant
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
This project is made by using the analytical data
provided by the following reference books and
websites:

 https://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-
content/tea-brewed

 http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-
lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-
depth/caffeine/art-20049372?pg=2

 http://www.theteaspot.com/about-tea.html

 Caffeine: How Caffeine Created The Modern

World by Michael Pollan.