This project, commissioned by Dr. John Maher (School of Chemistry, Bristol University), is all about caffeine.
Caffeine is one of the most common drugs in the Western world. Caffeine acts as a powerful stimulant and tens of millions of working people take it every day to give themselves a "kick-start" in the morning or "booster" later in the day. Caffeine usually appears in the form of coffee, tea, cocoa, cola and chocolate (in varying quantities ). There are various short-term and long-term effects which not all users of the substance are fully aware.Problems can arise via the intake of caffeine and, as with any drug, very high doses can be lethal and certain safe limits should be adhered to. Also, people can become dependent on caffeine if they drink coffee etc. every day. Quitting caffeine can be as difficult as any drug.
On a more scientific note, caffeine is not a particularly complicated molecule. Also known as 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine (and various other names ) it has the molecular formula C8-H10-N4-O2 and molar mass 194.19. The relative quantities of each element are: Carbon 49.48%, Hydrogen 5.19%, Nitrogen 28.85%, Oxygen 16.48%. The structure of caffeine involves 2 carbon-nitrogen rings connected together with oxygen atoms attached to each one.Caffeine can be obtained experimentally via a fairly simple extraction from coffee or tea. There are also various other projects available on the internet. There is other relevant information, concrerning caffeine, on the following topics:
History of Caffeine Questions and Answers Further Links