Instruction sheet for students.

CHM556
Experiment 1
Isolation of Caffeine from a Tea Bag

For background of this experiment, refer to experiment 11B, page 498 of the
laboratory textbook: Introduction to Organic Laboratory Techniques, A Small Scale
Approach, 3rd Edition by Engel, Kriz, Lapman and Pavia.

In this experiment, you will extract caffeine from tea bag. This is an example of
isolation of a natural product utilizing acid base extraction technique. Read
introductory part of experiment 11 carefully before proceeding to the actual procedure
in experiment 11B.

Please review technique on Separation and Purification Scheme (4; pg 461) including
Extractions with Separating Funnel (4A; pg 462).

Conduct the experiment as described in the laboratory text book with the following
modifications.

1. Use a 100 ml beaker and 50 ml of water to make the tea solution.

2. Transfer the hot tea solution into a small conical flask. Then add 0.5 g of
sodium carbonate.
3. Then filter the solution into a small separatory funnel. Use cotton for
filtration not filter paper.
4. Add 15 ml of methylene chloride to the separatory funnel and start the
extraction. You will need to wait for the emulsion to break.
5. Drain off the lower methylene chloride layer and add 10 ml of fresh
methylene chloride. (Repeat this step 2 times).
6. Dry the combined methylene chloride layer using anhydrous sodium
sulphate.
7. Transfer the dried methylene chloride solution into a pre-weighed small
round bottomed flask and evaporate off the solvent using the rotary-
evaporator.

Your report for this experiment should include:

a) The extraction scheme.
b) Percentage of caffeine in the tea.

Organic Chemistry Section,

Center of Chemistry and Environmental Studies,
Faculty of Applied Sciences,
Universiti Teknologi MARA.