Extraction and Characterization of Caffeine from Black Tea Leaves

Abstract

Caffeine extraction from tea leaves is performed with dichloromethane (DCM), making it the most commonly used solvent in organic chemistry laboratory experiments. On July 8, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency mandated a federal ban on the manufacture, process, and commercial distribution of methylene chloride (Environmental Protection Agency, 2024). This study aims to find a suitable solvent to replace dichloromethane. Among other commonly used solvents immiscible to water, Ethyl acetate was chosen as the best alternative. To isolate caffeine from black tea, a liquid-liquid extraction technique was performed, and the organic layer was attained. The amount of caffeine was quantified using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and characterized by melting point and Infrared spectroscopy.​