STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Tea and coffee are widely used in household. It is widely accepted that tea or coffee

removes fatigue, tiredness and headache. The principal content that is responsible for all

these functionalities is the alkaloid- Caffeine. Caffeine acts as a stimulant for central

nervous system. Excessive use of caffeine is found to have some harmful effects as well.

This project is our attempt to find out the amount of caffeine levels in samples of coffee

and tea.
 OBJECTIVE

To determine the amount of caffeine in samples of tea and coffee and to determine

its efficacy.
 INTRODUCTION

After water, tea and coffee are the most loved beverages the world over! Caffeine is

the most studied and consumed stimulant in the world present in many common

beverages, including coffee and tea, it’s known for both its beneficial and adverse effects

on human health. While the caffeine content can vary depending on brewing time, serving

size, or preparation method, coffee can easily pack twice the caffeine as an equal serving

of tea. The amount of caffeine considered safe for human consumption is 400 mg per day.

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that has been associated with protective effects

against some chronic diseases. Coffee contains more caffeine per serving than black tea,

but both beverages may provide its associated benefits.

Originally it was thought that caffeine is responsible for the taste and flavour of tea.

But pure caffeine has been found to be a tasteless white substance. Therefore, the taste and

flavour of tea is due to some other substance present in it.

Caffeine's chemical name is 3,7-dihydro-1, 3, 7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione. It is

also known as theine, methyl theobromine, and 1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine. Its molecular

formula is C8H10N4O2•H2O and it consists of bicyclic molecules derived from the purine

ring system.
USES OF CAFFEINE:

l. In medicine, it is used to stimulate, central nervous system

2. Because of its stimulating effects, caffeine has been used to relieve fatigue. But it is
dangerous and one may collapse if not consumes it under certain limit.

3. Caffeine is also used in analgesic tablets, as it is believed to be a pain reliever. It is

also beneficial in migraines.

EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE

l. It is psycho - stimulant.

2. It improves physical and mental ability.

3. Its effect in learning is doubtful but intellectual performance may improve where it
has been used to reduce fatigue or boredom.

4. When administered internally, it stimulates heart and nervous system and also acts as
diuretic. On the contrary their excessive use is harmful to digestion and their long use
leads to mental retardation.
 PROCEDURE

15 grams of each sample were taken in 250 ml beakers and 150 ml of water

was added to it. Then the beaker was heated up to extreme boiling. The solution was filtered

and lead acetate was added to the filtrate, leading to the formation of a curdy brown

coloured precipitate. Addition of lead acetate was continued till no more precipitate has

been formed. Again solution was filtered. Now the filtrate so obtained was heated until it

had become 50 ml. Then the solution left was allowed to cool. After that, 20 ml. of

chloroform was added to it. Soon after, two layers appeared. The lower layer was separated

out. The solution was then exposed to atmosphere in order to allow chloroform to get

evaporated. The residue left behind was caffeine which was then weighed and the

observations were recorded. Similar procedure was performed with all samples and quantity

of caffeine was determined.

 MATERIALS REQUIRED

 Beaker 250 ml

 Tea, coffee samples

 Wash bottle

 Glass rod

 Filter paper

 Funnel

 Weighing balance

 Distilled water

 Lead acetate

 Chloroform
 OBSERVATIONS

SL. No. SAMPLE NAME QUANTITY OF CAFFEINE (g)

1. Green Tea 0.04

2. Garden fresh CTC tea 0.06

3. Nescafe 0.16

4. Normal coffee powder 0.15

 DATA ANALYSIS

Caffeine content
0.18

0.16

0.14
AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE (g)

0.12

0.1

0.08

0.06

0.04

0.02

0
Green tea Garden fresh CTC Nescafe Normal coffee powder
SAMPLES

The above bar graph clearly conveys the heightened levels of caffeine in coffee

samples. Both the coffee samples taken have given an approximately equal amount of

caffeine content, similarly both the tea samples gave nearby yields. A comparison of the

four samples points on the fact that coffee serves as a better provider of caffeine and its

frequent usage should be discouraged while tea could be used frequently.

 RESULT

Of the four samples being estimated coffee dominates tea in caffeine levels. The

maximum caffeine content of 0.16 g was obtained with the sample of Nescafe, followed

by normal coffee powder and the least caffeine level of 0.04 g was recorded with Green

tea.
 CONCLUSION

Coffee and tea, though widely used as household beverages have certain differences

in terms of their caffeine content. As per the studies we conducted, the caffeine content in

tea and coffee are exactly not the same. Coffee in comparison to tea has a greater caffeine

level. This signifies that coffee could serve better refreshment from fatigue and could be a

better stimulant too. Tea on the other hand could be relied on as an intermittent drink as

the caffeine level is not extremely high. Thus, both coffee and tea could act as a supplier

of energy but both should not be treated as equals while being served. Taking too much of

caffeine can create problems too.

 LIMITATIONS

 There is a chance for error in the quantity as we have not used a separating funnel to

separate out the lower layer.

 Spills happened in between, which might have affected the caffeine content.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Seminarsonly

 icbse

 Together with chemistry lab practical, Rachna sagar (2020)

 Encyclopedia Britanicca