Delhi Public
School
Durgapur
(Session 2024-25)
Chemistry Investigatory Project
CAFFEINE
EXTRACTION
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FROM TEA LEAVES
Submitted to :
Submitted by:Arnab Biswas
Mr. Amit
(Chemistry Teacher) Roll
– 26, Class XI-C
CERTIFICATE
It is to certify that, ________________________ of
Class ____ Sec___ AISSCE Roll number
_________________ has successfully completed
the Investigatory project, titled
__________________________________ under the
supervision of
____________________________________ during the
academic session ___________________ as per
the guidelines of Central Board of Secondary
Education.
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________________________
_______________________
(Internal Examiner)
(External Examiner)
ACKNOWLEDGE
MENT
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I would like to express my sincere gratitude to
my subject teacher Mr. Amit for his valuable
guidance, helpful discussion and unwavering
support. His /her insightful feedback and
encouragement played a pivotal role in shaping
the direction of this project.
Also, I extend my gratitude to the Laboratory
Attendant and other staff members who have
helped me complete my work on time.
I extend my heartfelt appreciation to my
classmates and friends who provided me with
their valuable insightful suggestions, contributing
significantly to the refinement of this project.
I express my heartfelt gratitude to our
Principal of Delhi Public School, Durgapur Mr.
Umesh Ch. Jaiswal for providing me the
appropriate resources and well facilitated
Laboratory.
This project would not have been possible
without the guidance and combined support of
the above-mentioned teaching and non-teaching
staff members. I am thankful to all of them for
being a part of this endeavour and making this
project a grand success.
-
________________________
(Saptak
Mukherjee)
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CONTENT
S. Topic Name Page
No. no.
1 Introduction and Theory 5
2 Experiment 6-7
3 Experimental Observations 7-8
4 Conclusion 9
5 Bibliography 10
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INTRODUCTION
AND THEORY
CAFFEINE
Caffeine is a natural stimulant most
commonly found in tea, coffee, and cacao
plants. Once consumed, caffeine is quickly
absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream.
It then travels to the liver, where it is broken
down into compounds that can affect various
organs.
However, its primary impact is on the brain.
Caffeine blocks the effects of
adenosine, a neurotransmitter
responsible for relaxation and
sleepiness.
CAFFEINE IN TEA
Tea leaves are a complex mixture containing
various components, including cellulose,
proteins, lipids, sugars, pigments, and salts.
Even though on average, tea leaves contain
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about 3.5% caffeine, the composition
varies across different types of tea leaves.
Black tea contains the highest amount of
caffeine ranging between 64 to 112 mg per
fluid ounce (fl oz). In comparison, coffee
beans contain only 1-2% caffeine!
Separating caffeine from tea leaves involves
a process called extraction.
SOLUBILITY OF CAFFEINE
Caffeine is somewhat polar and dissolves in
water to a limited extent, especially in hot
water. However, it is more soluble in
dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂), which is a less
polar solvent not miscible with water. To
prevent contamination of the extracted
caffeine with tannins and other compounds
soluble in water, sodium carbonate is also
added to brewed tea when hot.
EXPERIMENT
AIM: To extract and isolate caffeine from
tea leaves.
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MATERIALS REQUIRED:
Beaker, 40g tea leaves, 300ml distilled
water, 6g sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ),
40ml dichloromethane (CH 2 Cl 2 ), heating
mantle, funnel, filter paper, separating
funnel.
PROCESS:
Grind 40g tea leaves well to increase the
surface area for extraction.
In a beaker, add the ground tea leaves
and 6g sodium carbonate.
Mix with 300ml distilled water and stir
well with glass rod.
Place the beaker on a heating mantle
and boil for a few minutes.
Now filter it using a tea filter, and re-boil
the residue.
Again, obtain a filtrate by filtering the re-
boiled residue, and combine it with the
previous filtrate (liquid), by pouring them
in the same beaker.
Now, put this filtrate through a filter
paper (or vacuum filter for faster
filtration) in a funnel to remove smaller
particles.
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Transfer the filtrate, thus obtained, to a
separating funnel and add 10 ml
dichloromethane.
Wait until two immiscible layers appear
in the separating funnel.
Now mix the two layers by closing the
cap and gently agitating the separating
funnel by tilting it side to side (do not
shake to avoid the formation of
emulsion). Open up the cap every now
and then to release the pressure.
Fix the separating funnel on a stand and
wait till the layers separate again.
Open the knob to collect the layer in the
bottom. This contains the extracted
caffeine, dissolved in dichloromethane.
Repeat this process 3-4 times by adding
10 ml dichloromethane in the separating
funnel each time to maximize the
caffeine extracted.
Collect and combine all the layers thus
obtained, and transfer into a petri dish.
Cover it with a perforated aluminium foil,
and keep it in room temperature.
After evaporation of dichloromethane,
crystals of caffeine are obtained.
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EXPERIMENTAL
OBSERVATIONS
When the mixture of water, sodium
carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ), and tea was heated
in a beaker on a hot plate for 10
minutes, the solution gradually turned
brown and emitted noticeable odours.
Upon adding dichloromethane to the
solution in the separatory funnel, two
layers formed: the bottom layer,
containing caffeine, and the top layer,
which was not soluble in
dichloromethane (Refer to the image
below). Initially, an emulsion formed
between the layers, but it was removed
by gently swirling and shaking the
funnel.
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The final extracted caffeine obtained
were in the form of needle-shaped
crystals, which on the whole resembled
the texture of ice sheets (Image below).
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CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the experiment demonstrated
the successful extraction of caffeine
from tea leaves using dichloromethane.
The initial step involved grinding the tea
leaves to increase the surface area for
extraction.
Subsequently, the mixture was subjected to
liquid-liquid extraction in a separatory
funnel, resulting in the formation of two
distinct layers: the bottom layer containing
caffeine dissolved in dichloromethane, and
the top layer containing other components
of the tea leaves. The addition of sodium
carbonate facilitated the separation by
decreasing the solubility of unwanted
compounds in the organic phase. The
observation of the solution turning brown
during heating indicated the presence of
caffeine.
These findings underscore the efficiency of
dichloromethane extraction coupled with
sodium chloride in isolating caffeine from
tea leaves, reaffirming the practical utility
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of organic chemistry techniques in
natural product extraction.
BIBLIOGRAP
HY
YouTube (prescribed sample video) ,
for experiment overview, process and images.
Chemistry Lab Manual
Healthline.com for information on
caffeine, its effects on the body, and
concentration in tea leaves.
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Bing search engine assistant Co-
Pilot for information on use of sodium
carbonate, and help in writing the conclusion
for this project.
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