Organic Experiment of Natural Products for the University Students. I. An Improved Method of Caffeine Extraction from Tea Leaves

As no experiments of organic natural products have so far been scheduled for sophomores of the chemistry class of the Aichi University of Education, an improved method to extract caffeine from tea leaves was developed, which is applicable to chemical laboratory courses. The new method is briefer than conventional ones and can be performed without causing any environmental pollution. Caffeine is so much familiar to the students as one of the nerve stimulating substances in tea and coffee that the laboratory experiment of its extraction would arouse their interest and should make them have a deeper understanding in chemistry of organic natural products. The results of the laboratory are also reported