Caffeine Analysis

By: Jordan Bourque, Jeremie Corriveau, Matthew Blackmore

General Information on Caffeine

Formula: C8H10N4O2

Molar Mass: 194.19 g/molCAS Registry Number: 58-08-2Structure:

Caffeine MSDS - (Science Lab)

Health Benefits• Regular coffee drinkers were 80 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.• Two cups a day reduced subjects' risk for colon cancer by 20 percent.• Two cups a day caused an 80 percent drop in the odds of developing cirrhosis.• Two cups a day cut the risk of developing gallstones in half.• Studies have also suggested that caffeine is beneficial in treating asthma, stopping

headaches, boosting mood and even preventing cavities.• A study by the Byrd Alzheimer's Institute in Tampa, Fla., showed that lab mice

injected with caffeine were protected against developing Alzheimer's disease. The injections even helped reduce symptoms in those that had the disease. The findings lead doctors to believe that up to five cups of coffee a day could have the same positive effect on humans.

• Regular exercise combined with daily doses of caffeine could increase the destruction of precancerous skin cells in mice. Once again, the findings have not yet been tested on humans, but the indication is that it will have similar effects.(Brain)

Health Risks• When consuming too much caffeine, (500 to 600

mg) you can get some unpleasant side effects. • Insomnia• Nervousness• Restlessness• Irritability• Stomach upset• Fast heartbeat• Muscle tremors• However the amount of caffeine someone can

intake is also affected by their body type and weight, previous consumption. Everyone is different. Caffeine can kill you, however it is extremely unlikely and would take a huge amount of caffeine. In the average adult it would take over 10grams of caffeine. For example, it would take at least 160 cans of red bull to kill me.

(Kovacs) (Energy Fiend)

Acceptable Analyte Levels• Usually in coffee you can expect

anywhere from• Brewed Coffee has between 80mg-

135mg in the average 7oz cup 198.4 grams

• Drip Coffee has between 115mg- 175mh in the average 7oz cup

• Espresso (average serving 1.5 – 2oz) has 100mg

• Instant Coffee has between 65-100mg in a 7oz cup

• Very rarely would you find more than 200mg in an average cup of coffee. A Tim Hortons medium is 10 oz – 283.5 grams

("Learn more about," 2009 )

Instrumentation/Technique• The best way for us to do caffeine analysis is High Performance Liquid

Chromatography • In HPLC, the liquid is forced through a solid material in tightly packed

tubes, then run through an identifier ("High performance liquid," )

How it WorksHow it Works• Used to separate mixtures, either to analyze it or to separate other

products. It is also used to find the relative amounts of different components in a mixture

• Using high power pumps, you pump a solution through columns • Like is attracted to like, and the mobile phase is pulling the

substance through the column but column is also pulling on the substance. So depending on the attraction certain elements will stay in the column for different periods of time, this is called retention time

• The retention time is unique to each substance• It is then run through an identifier, using its retention time it knows

what it is. • Then we use the computer to determine the area under each peak,

and use that to discover how much of the substance there is ("High performance liquid," )

Chemicals Needed

Phosphoric Acidhttp://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927393

Sodium Acetatehttp://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924952

25% aqueous Methanol Solutionhttp://www.midi-inc.com/pdf/MSDS_Methanol.pdf

Caffeine MSDS - (Science Lab)

Training

The only training that you actually need to have in order to perform this analysis is training in the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

Steps• Machine Prep

• Light filter, remove grounds

• Got syringes, filled and added filters – Samples labeled

• Picked a sample, filtered it ( through syringe ) into smaller container

• Picked up injector syringe, rinsed with sample three times. Added smaller filter and needle to the tip.

• Inserted syringe into HPLC machine

• Injected sample (through filter) into machine

• Set flow rate, turned on pump , switch inject lever

• Turned on Computer Tracking component

• Observed graphs, made observations, then repeated

• Proper Steps - ("Hplc - steps ," )

• Learn more about coffee to caffeine ratio. (2009 , Aug 16 ). Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/coffee-articles/learn-more-about-coffee-to-caffeine-ratio-1131398.html

• Brain, M. B. (n.d.). How caffeine works. Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks .com/caffeine6.htm

• Science Lab. (n.d.). Caffeine msds. Retrieved from http://www.dyediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/MSDS-Caffeine.pdf• Energy Fiend. (n.d.). Death by caffeine. Retrieved from http://www.energyfiend.com/death-by-caffeine• Hplc - steps . (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.chem.agilent.com/Library/Support/Documents/a25883.pdf • Kovacs, B. K. (n.d.). Caffeine. Retrievedfrom

http://www.medicinenet.com/caffeine/article.htm url: http://www.medicinenet.com/caffeine/article.htm

References