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Taking a Look at Caffeine

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Caffeine is a chemical that is very commonly known in many different things that we consume as humans. It is in most carbonated beverages and is commonly found in coffee. This paper will not only inform the readers about the effects of caffeine but will inform the readers of the following: chemical properties, uses of this chemical, how it is made and where it is found, and lastly the history on the development of the chemical or how it was discovered. Caffeine in its purest form is a white color with a prismatic crystal form (1) and has a density of 1.23 g/cm³ (2). It is found in the leaves and beans of the coffee plant, in tea, yerba mate, and guarana berries, and in small quantities in cocoa, the kola nut and the Yaupon Holly. Overall, caffeine is found in the beans, leaves, and fruit of over 60 plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding upon them. Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, having the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Caffeine is slighty soluble (3). And has a boiling point of 178°C (4) and a melting point of 238°C (5). Its molecular formula is C8H10 N4O2 and has an average mass of 194.190598 Da. Da stands for the Daltons (6).
The structural features of caffeine are that it is a part of the chemical compounds class known as “alkaloids”, which are naturally occurring nitrogen containing compounds a term used for substances produced as end products of

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