John D. Kudrysch History of Chemistry Help Received: None
Molecule: Caffeine
Ranked as the most consumed compound around the world, aside from water, caffeine has been introduced into almost every society in one form or another (1). Caffeine is found in daily life in the mixtures of coffee, tea, soft drinks, and candies. The analysis of caffeine has allowed science to take the molecule and put it into other forms aside from beverages. It has gotten to the point where caffeine can also be introduced into the body by patches, gum, and even tablets. Outside of commercial use caffeine is also known to be cut into recreational drugs in order to fool the illegal consumer into believing the stimulation effects are not as potent for cocaine ingesting. Analytical laboratories have standards and methods for analyzing caffeine. The impact this drug has on the world stems well outside of the daily consumption with a cup of coffee.
History of ingesting caffeine goes well beyond the AD era where the first instance of using it was through the making of tea in ancient China (2). Coffee was not introduced into the world until the middle of the fifteenth century. This consumption paved the way in the middle east to spread the use of caffeine, mainly in coffee, to the European nations. Italy was the first to adopt the consumption of caffeine in the European continent (2). While caffeine has historical significance in terms of usage, the compound itself was not isolated and analyzed until the nineteenth century. This isolation was done by a man named Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge. This isolation was then done by French chemists after him. Two of these chemists contributed to describing and analyzing caffeine, unlike Runge. Chemist Pierre Jean Robiquet was the man to describe caffeine’s properties in its isolated state, and chemist Pierre Joseph Pelletier performed the first elemental analysis on caffeine. Pelletier was a chemist who worked extensively with scientist Coventou, where both of them studied alkaloids that are found in vegetables (3).
Caffeine is an alkaloid, where nitrogen atoms are present in its molecular structure:
(2)
It is the main ingredient of coffee which is produced by beans, certain leaves, and nuts (4). This availability has enabled caffeine to be consumed all around the world. This chemically reacts in the body as a stimulate for the central nervous system. This stimulation has been observed by scientists as harmless except under very specific and extreme conditions (4). To obtain pure caffeine from coffee or liquidated beverages containing caffeine, the process to decaffeinate is the main method for isolating caffeine from everything else. This extraction use to be done through the use of specific solvents such as benzene and chloroform, but because of health, costs, and flavor new methods were developed to separate caffeine away from what it is found in (2, 4). The process of water extraction, where the water filters through the coffee and the caffeine is caught by activated charcoal, allows for clear isolation of caffeine. This isolation has allowed many other purposes of caffeine to be developed such as pills and more concentrated drinks containing caffeine (2).
Using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction works well because of its nonpolar solubility for caffeine, and using organic solvents to extract the caffeine, such as ethyl acetate, has made it easier for people to isolate caffeine (2). The utilization of High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, HPLC, has been used in industry in order to determine the presence and concentration of caffeine (4). Caffeine itself can be detected purely by GC-MS if the sample of caffeine is pure and not mixed in with other substances. Using UV wavelength spectroscopy the determination of caffeine’s presence in a mixture can be found. A spectrophotometer can determine the concentration of the caffeine in a mixture based on the absorbency. The higher the concentration the higher the absorbance value (4).
Caffeine is plentiful throughout the world, and is very easy to come by. Laboratory grade caffeine, that is used in reactions, studies, and determinations in forensic labs, is cheap to come by as well. On Sigma-Aldrich, laboratory grade caffeine can be bought for approximately $34.10 for only 100 grams of compound (5). Caffeine has a white color to it, and is found as a crystalline solid (6). The reason that caffeine would be used in laboratory settings is to use it as a standard to analyze against a mixture of compounds such as a bar of cocaine. Contrary to belief, cocaine is not usually found completely pure on the streets and is usually cut with something like caffeine. Caffeine pills are also found on the streets, and can be confused by officers at times as illegal substances. It has a fairly high melting point at 238°C, and it’s boiling point has no recording of temperature (6). It is odorless, tastes slightly bitter, and has a molecular weight of 194.2 g/mole. This compound is does not have a very high toxicity for organisms, having an LD50 of 192mg/kg (6). It is a very mild skin irritant depending on the exposure, but it is to be considered acutely hazardous if contacted with the eyes (6). If ingested it will not cause immediate concern so long as the ingestion isn’t absurd. It may cause damage to someone’s heart, gastrointestinal track, and the central nervous system (6).
Chronic use of caffeine may result in organ damage and mild addiction (6, 2). Usually the best way to handle caffeine is to store it in a container that is tightly sealed, and the container is kept in a well vented area (6). When handling it is suggested that gloves are used at all times, glasses are worn, and it is not left out at any point in time unless being used in case of contamination and prolonged exposure to the skin. The ability to metabolize the compound determines the effects of the drugs. Caffeine can be used to disrupt and kill spiders, insects, and certain kinds of mammals and birds. The lack of high enough metabolism enables toxic effects on the body (2).
Caffeine is, without a doubt, society’s favorite drug. Cultures all around the world have adopted caffeine entirely, and its use has changed society. In return, as scientific progression isolated caffeine, multiple and more dynamic uses for caffeine were discovered along the way. The use of caffeine beverages such as coffee was regulated by ancient governments differently. Some societies, such as the Ottoman Empire, banned certain societal classes from drinking the beverage as if it was a delicacy (2). Other societies tried to ban it entirely because they found it to be stimulating and could not regulate the effects of caffeine for its citizens. Prussia, England, and Sweden all banned caffeine, specifically coffee, several times throughout their history (2). The United States had its own scare with caffeinated beverages in the early 1900’s, where kola was a concern to some people given its “addiction capabilities” (2). The regulation of caffeine in the United States is really relaxed, coffee and other beverages having only mild warning labels given that caffeine itself is not generally toxic.
The most popular drug in the world, caffeine has made its mark on societies around the world. A naturally occurring alkaloid in nature, caffeine is also known to be easily isolated through industrial decaffeination methods. These methods have become more environmentally and consumer friendly over the years. Depending on the exact exposure, caffeine can be an irritant. The substance isolated looks like a white powder, where this laboratory use is extensively for forensic labs and other analytical methods that are not practical in a household. It’s lasting effects on society will continue to influence beverages, pills, and other applications in order to stimulate a person safely. The over consumption of caffeine can prove to be harmful to the body, but if taken in moderation or a certain limit per day then caffeine is relatively harmless.
(1). http://www.clivewilliams.hubpages.com/hub/most-consumed-beverages, accessed 6 March, 2015
(2). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/caffeine, accessed 6 March, 2015.
(3). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_joseph_pelletier, accessed 7 March, 2015
(4). http://www.jenway.com/adminimages/A09_010A_Determination_of_Caffeine_in_Beverages_using_UV_
Wavelength_Spectroscopy(1).pdf, accessed 8 March, 2015.
(5). http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sial/c0750?lang=en®ion=US, accessed 9 March, 2015
(6). http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927475, accessed 9 March, 2015.