Rachel Slee
Mrs. Zamiara
Honors Chemistry
9 March 2017
Chemistry of Caffeine Caffeine, or trimethylxanthine, is a compound in the alkaloid group. This compound forms its specific shape through the combination of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen and is most commonly found naturally in tea, coffee, and cacao. It can also be synthetically made to be put into several energy drinks, or other caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is a polar molecule because the oxygen and nitrogen molecules within the compound have a stronger polarity than the carbon. This means that caffeine is water soluble because of similar polarities. It has a low solubility, so it is often combined with a wide variety of compounds to form complexes for enhanced solubility …show more content…
When a person consumes caffeine over a long period of time, the brain produces more adenosine receptors, meaning more caffeine is needed to create the same response. This can also create withdraw symptoms, as a person will produce more adenosine than usual when they do not consume caffeine, making them feel more tired than before the person began drinking caffeinated beverages. Caffeine can be made naturally and synthetically. The natural process of synthesizing caffeine most commonly starts with the conversion of xanthosine which is naturally found in the plant into 7-methylxanthosine through the catalyst of 7-methylxanthosine synthase. Then, through hydrolysis or withdrawal of water, 7-methylxanthine is created. This 7-methylxanthine is then formed by the catalyst theobromine synthase to produce theobromine, which is very similar to caffeine. This theobromine finally produces caffeine through a caffeine synthase that is a common catalyst in the caffeine biosynthesis …show more content…
A commonly used method to extract caffeine from a substance was a process that used dichloromethane. Dichloromethane and another chemical called ethyl acetate were commonly use because of caffeines' polarity and solubility. Caffeine is much more soluble in dichloromethane than in water because dichloromethane is considered a polar hydrocarbon because of its structure and elements that it contains. Caffeine is very soluble in this chemical because it is also a polar hydrocarbon, while water is only polar, making it more suitable to dissolve in the dichloromethane because like substances dissolve other like substances. Dichloromethane or methylene chloride and ethyl acetate are the most common used ways for decaffeination using a direct solvent method. These chemicals are combined and circulated in coffee beans that are moistened in water in order to make the caffeine soluble so that it can be drawn
Mrs. Zamiara
Honors Chemistry
9 March 2017
Chemistry of Caffeine Caffeine, or trimethylxanthine, is a compound in the alkaloid group. This compound forms its specific shape through the combination of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen and is most commonly found naturally in tea, coffee, and cacao. It can also be synthetically made to be put into several energy drinks, or other caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is a polar molecule because the oxygen and nitrogen molecules within the compound have a stronger polarity than the carbon. This means that caffeine is water soluble because of similar polarities. It has a low solubility, so it is often combined with a wide variety of compounds to form complexes for enhanced solubility …show more content…
When a person consumes caffeine over a long period of time, the brain produces more adenosine receptors, meaning more caffeine is needed to create the same response. This can also create withdraw symptoms, as a person will produce more adenosine than usual when they do not consume caffeine, making them feel more tired than before the person began drinking caffeinated beverages. Caffeine can be made naturally and synthetically. The natural process of synthesizing caffeine most commonly starts with the conversion of xanthosine which is naturally found in the plant into 7-methylxanthosine through the catalyst of 7-methylxanthosine synthase. Then, through hydrolysis or withdrawal of water, 7-methylxanthine is created. This 7-methylxanthine is then formed by the catalyst theobromine synthase to produce theobromine, which is very similar to caffeine. This theobromine finally produces caffeine through a caffeine synthase that is a common catalyst in the caffeine biosynthesis …show more content…
A commonly used method to extract caffeine from a substance was a process that used dichloromethane. Dichloromethane and another chemical called ethyl acetate were commonly use because of caffeines' polarity and solubility. Caffeine is much more soluble in dichloromethane than in water because dichloromethane is considered a polar hydrocarbon because of its structure and elements that it contains. Caffeine is very soluble in this chemical because it is also a polar hydrocarbon, while water is only polar, making it more suitable to dissolve in the dichloromethane because like substances dissolve other like substances. Dichloromethane or methylene chloride and ethyl acetate are the most common used ways for decaffeination using a direct solvent method. These chemicals are combined and circulated in coffee beans that are moistened in water in order to make the caffeine soluble so that it can be drawn