CHEMISTRY

INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
DETERMINATION OF CAFFEINE
IN TEA SAMPLES

By - Lakshya
Bengani Class - XII –
D
Roll No. - 15
 Index

1) Acknowledgement
2) Certificate
3) Introduction
4) Theory
5) How does caffeine work ?
6) Health benefits of caffeine
7) Side effects of caffeine
8) Apparatus required
9) Procedure
10) Observation
11) Conclusion
12) Bibliography
13) Viva-voce
 Acknowledgement

I hereby take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to all those

individuals whose knowledge and experience helped me bring this
report in its present form. It would not have been possible without
their kind support.

I am highly indebted to my project guide, Mrs. Sarita Khokar for

her constant supervision as well as for providing necessary
information regarding the projects & also for their support in
completing the project. The co-operation is much indeed appreciated.

I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents & friends for

their kind co-operation and encouragement which helped me in
completion of this project. I am grateful to them for always
encouraging me whenever I needed them.
 Certificate

This is to certify that Lakshya Bengani, a student of class XII – D, has

successfully completed the project entitled "DETERMINATION OF
CAFFEINE IN TEA SAMPLES" under the guidance of Mrs. Sarita
Khokar, during the year 2021-22. The project is found worthy of
acceptance as final project for the subject Chemistry of class XII.

Signature of Subject Teacher Signature of Examiner

 Introduction
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over
cured or fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to
China and other East Asian countries. After water, it is the most widely
consumed drink in the world. There are many different types of tea; some
have a cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavour, while others have
vastly different profiles that include sweet, nutty, floral, or grassy notes.
Tea has a stimulating effect in humans primarily due to its caffeine
content.
It acts as a stimulant for central nervous system 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 body temperature.
Tea plants are native to East Asia and probably originated in the
borderlands of southwestern China and north Burma. An early credible
record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD, in a medical text
written by Hua Tuo. It was popularized as a recreational drink during the
Chinese Tang dynasty, and tea drinking spread to other East Asian
countries. Portuguese priests and merchants introduced it to Europe during
the 16th century. During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable
among the English, who started to plant tea on a large scale in India.
The term herbal tea refers to drinks not made from Camellia sinensis. They
are the infusions of fruit, leaves, or other plant parts, such as steeps of
rosehip, chamomile, or rooibos. These may be called tisanes or herbal
infusions to prevent confusion with "tea" made from the tea plant.
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.
Originally it was thought that caffeine is responsible for the taste and
flavor of tea. But pure caffeine has been found to be a tasteless while
substance. Therefore, the taste and flavor of tea is due to some other
substance present in it. There is a little doubt that the popularity of the
xanthenes beverages depends on their stimulant action, although most
people are unaware Determination of Caffeine in Tea Samples of any
stimulation. The degree to which an individual is stimulated by given
amount of caffeine varies from individual to individual.

For example, some people boast their ability to drink several cups of
coffee in evening and yet sleep like a long, on the other hand there are
people who are so sensitive to caffeine that even a single cup of coffee will
cause a response boarding on the toxic.

The xanthene beverages also create a medical problem. They are dietary of
a stimulant of the CNS. Often the physicians face the question whether to
deny caffeine-containing beverages to patients or not. In fact, children are
more susceptible than adults to excitation by xanthenes.
 Theory
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline purine, a methylxanthine alkaloid,
and is chemically related to the adenine and guanine bases of
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).
Caffeine, also known by the name IUPAC name 1, 3, 7-Trimethylpurine-
2,6-dione, has a chemical formula C8H10N4O2. Caffeine is found in
common food and beverages that we consume every day, such as coffee
and tea. Coffee and tea leaves contain a maximum of 5 % of the caffeine in
them. Caffeine is also one of the main flavoring agents present in tea.
It is most commonly used to improve mental alertness, but it has many
other uses. Caffeine is used by mouth or rectally in combination with
painkillers (such as aspirin and acetaminophen) and a chemical called
ergotamine for treating migraine headaches. It is also used with painkillers
for simple headaches and preventing and treating headaches after epidural
anaesthesia.

.
 How Does
Caffeine
Works?
Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system (CNS), heart,
muscles, and the centers that control blood pressure. Caffeine can raise
blood pressure, but might not have this effect in people who use it all the
time. Caffeine can also act like a "water pill" that increases urine flow. But
again, it may not have this effect in people who use caffeine regularly.
Also, drinking caffeine during moderate exercise is not likely to cause
dehydration.
Caffeine in beverages such as coffee, tea, and soda is quickly absorbed in
the gut and dissolves in both the body’s water and fat molecules. It is able
to cross into the brain. Food or food components, such as fibers, in the gut
can delay how quickly caffeine in the blood peaks.
Blood concentrations of caffeine tend to peak within two hours, which also
means that brain concentrations of caffeine are at their peaks. The caffeine
in your brain is competing with adenosine and preventing it from binding
to A1 receptors. This is what gives you a jolt of wakefulness.
To be precise, the caffeine doesn’t actually lock in with the A1 receptor.
It’s more like something that gets in the way and occupies the lock, rather
than actually unlocking it.
It similarly gets in the way of the A2A receptor, which can help promote
the release of dopamine and glutamate (and make you feel good after you
drink coffee).
 Health Benefits of
Caffeine

Research indicates that caffeine may help protect human brain cells,
which lowers the risk of developing some diseases, such as Parkinson’s.
Regular cups of coffee may stimulate the gallbladder and reduce the risk
of gallstones.
Caffeine causes the blood vessels to constrict, which may help relieve
some headache pain.
Coffee reduces inflammation and may help prevent certain heart related
illnesses.
Treats Migraine.
Relieves Asthma
Attack.
Increases the potency of analgesics.
Caffeine is also used for weight loss and type 2 diabetes.
Caffeine creams are applied to the skin to reduce redness and itching in
dermatitis.
 Side Effects of
Caffeine
There is a significant association between drinking caffeinated coffee
and the decrease of bone mineral density, which leads to osteoporosis.
The daily consumption of caffeinated drinks can increase blood sugar
levels and cause problems for people with diabetes.
Caffeine is a diuretic and can cause dehydration.
Caffeine can prevent some from falling asleep and interferes with deep
sleep, which can lead to fatigue during the day.
 Apparatus Required

 Tea leaves
 Water
 Beaker
 Tripod stand
 Burner
 Filtrator
 Lead acetate
 Funnel
 Chloroform
 Procedure
1. First of all, 50 grams of tea leaves were taken as sample and
150 ml of water was added to it in a beaker.
2. Then the beaker was heated up to extreme boiling.
3. The solution was filtered and lead acetate was added to
the filtrater, leading to the formation of a curdy brown
coloured precipitate.
4. We kept on adding lead acetate till no more precipitate has
been formed.
5. Again solution was filtered.
6. Now the filtrate so obtained was heated until it had
become 50 ml.
7. Then the solution left was allowed to cool.
8. After that, 20 ml. of chloroform was added to it.
9. Soon after, two layers appeared in the separating funnel.
10. We separated the lower layer.
11. The solution is then exposed to atmosphere in order to
allow chloroform to get evaporated.
12. The residue left behind was caffeine.
13. 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.
 Observations
Red Label Tea (Brooke Bond):

Weight of china dish 46.60gms

Weight of china dish 47.20gms

with precipitate
Amount of caffeine 0.6gms

Yellow label tea (Lipton):

Weight of china dish 46.60 gms

Weight of china dish 47.15 gms

with precipitate
Amount of caffeine 0.55 gms
Green label tea (Lipton):

Weight of china dish 46.60 gms

Weight of china dish 47.05 gms

with precipitate
Amount of caffeine O.45 gms
 Conclusion

1. Quantity of caffeine in red label tea is 0.60mg. /sample

of 50 gm.
2. Quantity of caffeine in yellow label tea is
0.55mg./sample of 50 gm.
3. Quantity of caffeine in green label tea is
0.45mg./sample of 50 gm.
 Bibliography
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea

2) 2.pdf (arcjournals.org)

3) https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-
979/caffeine#:~:text=Caffeine%20works%20by%20stimulating%20th
e%20central%20nervous%20system,like%20a%20%E2%80%9Cwate
r%20pill%E2%80%9D%20that%20increases%20urine%20flow.

4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

5) https://thechemistryguru.com/chemistry-project/chemistry-project-
determine-caffeine-tea- samples/#:~:text=Chemistry%20Project
%20to%20Determine%20the
%20Caffeine%20in%20Tea,%20%2046.60gms%20%202%20more%
20rows%20

6) https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/caffeine

7) https://byjus.com/caffeine-chemical-formula/
 Viva-Voce
Q1. How many chemical compounds are present in tea?
Ans. The green leaf of the tea plants contains more than 700
chemical compounds. However, out of these, polyphenols and
caffeine are the two compounds which are commercially and
biologically more important than the other constituents.

Q2. Which of the compounds are oxidised in tea?

Ans. Flavanols or catechins are the major compounds that are
oxidisable in the tea leaf. (-) epigallo catechin (EGC) and (-)
epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) are the predominant catechins
present in tea leaf.

Q3. How is tea prepared?

Ans. Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling
water over cured or fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen
shrub native to China and other East Asian countries.

Q4. How does tea help in removing tiredness and fatigue?

Ans. It acts as a stimulant for central nervous system 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
body temperature.
Q5. What is herbal tea?
Ans. The term herbal tea refers to drinks not made from Camellia
sinensis. They are the infusions of fruit, leaves, or other plant parts,
such as steeps of rosehip, chamomile, or rooibos.

Q6. What is the principal constituent of tea which helps in removing

tiredness?
Ans. The principal constituent of tea, which is responsible for all
these properties, is the alkaloid-caffeine.

Q7. What is caffeine?

Ans. Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline purine, a methylxanthine
alkaloid, and is chemically related to the adenine and guanine bases
of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).

Q8. What is the chemical formula of caffeine?

Ans. Chemical formula of caffeine is C8H10N4O2.

Q9. What is the IUPAC name of caffeine?

Ans. IUPAC name of caffeine is 1, 3, 7-Trimethylpurine-2,6-dione.

Q10. What is the average caffeine content in tea and coffee leaves?
Ans. Coffee and tea leaves contain a maximum of 5 % of the caffeine
in them.
Q11. How does caffeine work?
Ans. Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system (CNS),
heart, muscles, and the centers that control blood pressure. Caffeine
in beverages such as coffee, tea, and soda is quickly absorbed in the
gut and dissolves in both the body’s water and fat molecules.

Q12. How will you determine the quality of sample of tea based on
caffeine content?
Ans. The sample with maximum caffeine content is the best quality
tea.

Q13. What are the health benefits of caffeine?

Ans. Research indicates that caffeine may help protect human brain
cells, which lowers the risk of developing some diseases, such as
Parkinson’s. Regular cups of coffee may stimulate the gallbladder
and reduce the risk of gallstones. Caffeine causes the blood vessels
to constrict, which may help relieve some headache pain.

Q14. Give some side effects of caffeine.

Ans. There is a significant association between drinking caffeinated
coffee and the decrease of bone mineral density, which leads to
osteoporosis. The daily consumption of caffeinated drinks can
increase blood sugar levels and cause problems for people with
diabetes. Caffeine is a diuretic and can cause dehydration.

Q15. What is the apparatus required for the experiment?

Ans. Tea leaves, Water, Beaker, Tripod stand, Burner, Filtrator, Lead
acetate, Funnel, Chloroform.
Q16. Why is lead acetate used in filtrator?
Ans. Lead acetate is used in filtrator for the formation of curdy
brown coloured precipitate.

Q17. Why is the solution exposed to atmosphere?

Ans. The solution is exposed to atmosphere in order to allow
chloroform to get evaporated.

Q18. Give some uses of caffeine.

Ans. Caffeine is most commonly used to improve mental alertness,
but it has many other uses. It is also used with painkillers for simple
headaches and preventing and treating headaches after epidural
anaesthesia.

Q19. What is the quantity of caffeine in 50 gm red label tea?

Ans. Quantity of caffeine in red label tea is 0.60mg. /sample of
50 gm.

Q20. What is the quantity of caffeine in 50 gm yellow label tea?

Ans. Quantity of caffeine in yellow label tea is 0.55mg./sample of
50 gm.

Q21. What is the quantity of caffeine in 50 gm green label tea?

Ans. Quantity of caffeine in green label tea is 0.45mg./sample of
50 gm.