Caffiene Essay

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Organic Chem. Lab EXPERIMENT 11: ISOLATION OF CAFFEINE FROM TEA LEAVES COMPOUND PROCEDURE Preparation of Tea Solution: We started out experiment by weighing out 5.023g of tealeaves and 2.008g of calcium carbonate powder. These two substances were mixed with 50ml of water and heated under gentle reflux in a round-bottom flask using a condenser apparatus. The hot solution was then filtered and the filtrate was collected and cooled. Extraction and Drying: Using a separatory funnel, the cooled filtrate was extracted with 10ml of methylene chloride. After shaking our mixture, we broke and dried our emulsion by slowing passing the lower layer through a cotton ball layered with anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The extraction process was repeated 2 more times for maximum collection of the organic layer. Distillation: The extracts were poured into a 50ml round bottle flask and connected to a simple distillation apparatus. To obtain the caffeine, the methylene chloride was removed from the extract, leaving us with our solid caffeine residue. Sublimation: We purified our solid caffeine through sublimation. By constructing a side-arm test tube apparatus, we vaporized and condensed the caffeine using a Bunsen burner. Upon cooling, the apparatus was carefully disassembled and the sublimed caffeine was scraped off of the test-tube collection surface and weighed. The melting point range was then determined by utilizing a melting point apparatus. RESULTS Final Product Weight: .024g Melting Pointing Range: 165-200°C DISCUSSION In this experiment, caffeine was isolated from tealeaves through extraction, distillation and sublimation. Caffeine (also known as Guaranine, Methyltheobromine, and Thein) is defined as a naturally occurring chemical stimulant of the central nervous system that occurs in beans, leaves, fruit, and beverages such
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