University of Santo Tomas

Faculty of Pharmacy – Department of Pharmacy

España, Manila

Extraction of Caffeine in Commercially-Available Tea

Singh, S.P., Soriano, J.C., Timtiman, D.R., Valeros, R., & Yutuc, P.N.
1H – Pharmacy

Abstract: The experiment was done to extract caffeine from 10.01g of commercial tea
bags and to calculate the percent yield of extracted caffeine from multiple extraction.
During the experiment, 10.01g tea bags was heated in boiling water for about 8
minutes. The resulting mixture was collected for the extraction of caffeine. The group
used multiple extraction in this experiment, therefore, dichloromethane was introduced
to the mixture three times, each subjecting 20mL. Dichloromethane was used as an
extracting solvent in this experiment because caffeine is more soluble in
dichloromethane than in water. The organic layer or the bottom layer which contain the
dichloromethane and the caffeine was drained and was transferred to the erlenmeyer
flask. Anhydrous sodium sulfate was added to the mixture and was decanted to the
pre-weighed evaporating dish, which was evaporated to dryness under a hot plate. The
residue was weighed and the percent yield that the group obtained was 0.9%. This
percentage yield is necessary to show the amount of caffeine present in the tea sample.

I. Introduction is C8H10N4O2 or chemically known as

1,3,7-trimethylxanthine. In its pure
Camellia sinensis or commonly form, caffeine is white, crystalline
known as tea is one of the most methylxanthine powder that tastes very
commonly used caffeinated beverages bitter. The most commonly sources of
in the world [1]. Caffeine and other caffeine are coffee, cocoa beans,
purine alkaloids, including theobromine guarana, and tea leaves [2]. It is also
and theophylline, have played a major used as a stimulant which stimulates the
role in the long-standing popularity of central nervous system and to increase
non-alcoholic beverages and foods such flow of urine [3]. Studies also showed
as coffee, tea, cocoa, mate, chocolate that caffeine have various human health
and a wide range of soft drinks. benefits such as enhancement of
cognitive functioning, improvement of
Caffeine is a naturally occurring neuromuscular coordination, elevation
alkaloid, meaning it contains nitrogen of mood and relief of anxiety [1].
and has the properties of an organic
amine base, found in the leaves, seeds Caffeine can be isolated from tea
and fruits of numerous plant species of using extraction. Extraction is the
a group of compounds called technique used to separate an organic
trimethylxanthine. Its chemical formula compound from a mixture of
compounds. The theory of extraction ring, iron clamp, teabags, sodium
lies in the concept of immiscibility carbonate, dichloromethane, and
between two phases to separate a anhydrous sodium sulfate. The group
solute from the other phase. There are pre-weighed 4.4 grams of sodium
two types of extraction namely liquid- carbonate, approximately 10 grams of
liquid extraction which is also known as tea leaves, and the evaporating dish. A
solvent extraction or partitioning and mixture of 4.4 sodium carbonate and
solid-liquid extraction. The liquid-liquid 100 mL of distilled water was placed in
extraction is divided into two types a 250mL beaker; the mixture was
which is single and multiple extraction. heated under the hot plate until the all
Single extraction introduced the solid dissolved. The tea leaves
dichloromethane to the tea solution only contained in tea bags were then placed
once, while multiple extraction in the mixture. The beaker was boiled
introduced dichloromethane to the for 8 minutes on a low flame.
solution three times. Dichloromethane is
an organic solvent which is used in the After 8 minutes of boiling, the tea
experiment to extract caffeine because bags were removed and were carefully
caffeine is more soluble in squeezed out by pressing it on the sides
dichloromethane (140mg/ml) compared of the beaker with the aid of a glass
to water (22mg/ml). The addition of rod. The extract was filtered through
dichloromethane to the caffeine solution the use of a filter funnel and a filter
produces two layers, organic and paper. The filtered extract was then
aqueous layer. Dichloromethane can be allowed to cool to room temperature
seen in the bottom layer of the after it was transferred to the
separatory funnel which is the organic separatory funnel. Three portions of
layer since it is denser than water [4]. dichloromethane, each measured 20mL,
was added to the extract separately for
The type of extraction used in this three processes of extractions. In each
experiment is particularly liquid-liquid addition of the 20mL of DCM, the
extraction specifically multiple mixture was swirled carefully and the
extraction. In this experiment, the group stop cock at the end was opened to
should able to attain the following release the pressure inside. After
objectives: 1) extract caffeine from swirling, it was left to set for 2 minutes
commercially available tea bags; 2) or until the separation was visible
Calculate the percentage yield of enough between the two layers. The
extracted caffeine from multiple organic layer was then drained to an
extraction. erlenmeyer flask and the aqueous layer
was discarded to the proper bin.
II. Methodology
The organic solution drained from
The materials used in the the separatory funnel was then
experiment were hot plate, separatory combined with a half spatula of
funnel, beaker, erlenmeyer flask, glass anhydrous sodium sulfate in a beaker.
rod, evaporating dish, iron stand, iron The mixture was decanted after to
remove the anhydrous sodium sulfate, added, there is a high possibility that
and the dessicant containing the organic the acids will be extracted together with
solution was transferred in the pre- the caffeine [5].
weighed evaporating dish to be heated
under the hot plate until it evaporated
to dryness. The residue left on the After cooling the tea mixture, it
evaporating dish was then weighed and was transferred to the separatory funnel
the percentage recovery of the for the extraction process. The group
extracted crude caffeine was calculated. was assigned to perform multiple
extraction. It is a process where the
III. Results & Discussion original amount of solvent to be used is
divided into three or more portions to
Table 1. Experimental Results
extract one-layer multiple times, making
Weight of Tea Leaves Used 10.01g it more efficient than single extraction
because it maximized the extractive
Weight of Evaporating Dish +
131.48g power of the solvent used and resulted
Caffeine
to a more extracted caffeine [6]. The
Weight of Empty Evaporating solvent used in the experiment was
131.39g
Dish dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), a volatile,
colorless liquid that was added in the
Weight of Caffeine 0.09g separatory funnel together with the tea
mixture for it to help in the extraction of
Percentage Recovery of
0.90% caffeine. However, careful handling was
Caffeine
made when adding dichloromethane
because it was found to be carcinogenic
In the experiment, caffeine was and can affect the central nervous
extracted from commercially-available system when inhaled [7].
tea bags, specifically Lipton Yellow Label
Tea, through the process of boiling and
extraction. The tea bags were soaked in
a heated beaker containing a mixture of
water and dissolved sodium carbonate
(Na2CO3). Sodium carbonate is a base
that was added to convert gallic acid
and tannic acid, the acids present in tea,
into their respective sodium salts. The
converted sodium salts tend to be highly
soluble in water, and thus, remained in
the aqueous layer during the extraction
process. If sodium carbonate wasn’t Figure 1. Aqueous and Organic Layer
 it was subjected to evaporate until
In Figure 1, the separation of the dryness under a hot plate, and crude
aqueous (upper and brown) and the caffeine was obtained.
organic layer (lower and clear) was
shown after adding dichloromethane, % Yield
swirling the mixture, and letting it sit for Weight of Crude Caffeine
= x 100
a few minutes. The aqueous layer Weight of Sample
constitutes the sodium salts of gallic
0.09g
acid and tannic acid, water, and other = x 100 = 0.8991% ≈ 0.9%
10.01g
polar excipients present in the tea
mixture. On the other hand, the organic The weight of the crude caffeine
layer constitutes the caffeine to be obtained was 0.09grams, resulting to a
extracted and the dichloromethane percentage yield of 0.90% (Table 1).
added. DCM remained in the organic This was computed through dividing the
layer because it is insoluble and much weight of the crude caffeine obtained
denser than water, having 1.33g/mL over the weight of the sample or tea
compared to the 1g/mL density of water bags used.
[6].
The weight of crude caffeine was
obtained through subtracting the weight
of the empty evaporating dish used, and
the evaporating dish and the crude
caffeine after evaporation.

It can be said that the group was

Figure 2. Sodium Sulfate Hydrate Crystals
overall successful in extracting caffeine
After the caffeine was extracted, from commercially-available tea.
anhydrous sodium sulfate was added to
the collected organic solution. During the duration of the
Anhydrous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) is a experiment, notable sources of error
drying agent that was used to remove may have occurred. One noticeable
certain amount of water from the error is the systemic error with the
organic layer after the extraction separatory funnel used. Due to the
process. It removed the water by unwanted gas residing inside the funnel,
forming sodium sulfate hydrate, which the apparatus did not excrete a
can be seen as the transparent crystals consistent amount of the organic
that formed in the bottom of the beaker solution leading to some aqueous
(Figure 2) [8]. After drying the solution, solution being mixed in the receiving
flask. The purity of the caffeine obtained blication/276272121_EXTRACTIO
was not also tested due to time- N_OF_CAFFEINE_FROM_USED_T
constrain. EA_LEAVES

[3] Chhikara, A., Malik, A., Saxena, R.,

IV. Conclusion
Solanki, V., Taneja, B., Thakur, P.
(2015). Extraction of
The caffeine was extracted using
Caffeine Using Ionic Liquids from
liquid-liquid extraction specifically
Camellia Sinensis. DU Journal of
multiple extraction. The mass of caffeine
Undergraduate Research and
that was isolated from the tea bags was
Innovation. Retrieved from
0.09g which resulted to 0.9% of
https://www.researchgate.net/public
extracted caffeine. Some errors which
ation/303840919_Extraction_of_caff
affected the results were because of the
eine_using_ionic_liquids_from_Came
unwanted gas residing inside the funnel
llia_sinensis
that caused it to release some aqueous
solution that mixed with the organic
[4] Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
layer in the receiving flask. One factor
Leaves Formal Report. (n.d.).
that also affected the results was the
Retrieved from
brand of tea bags that were used.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/105
Overall, the experiment was successful
703324/Extraction-of-Caffeine-
because the group was able to extract
From-Tea-Leaves-Formal-
caffeine and to calculate the percentage
Report?fbclid=IwAR12T6_rDsGtN
yield.
mJ9zGDP-
Q2XYpEOIIpZsuo4wAaylMVTaL51
V. References SXVfhq70tYQ

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lation Retrieved from
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Targoviste. Retrieved from
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[7] James, E. (2014). Dichloromethane.
Retrieved from
https://www.chemistryworld.com
/podcasts/dichloromethane/725
4.article

[8] University of Calgary. (n.d.). Using

drying agents. Retrieved from
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agents.pdf