Is Caffeine a Drug?

Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound and a central nervous stimulant. It can temporarily remove drowsiness and restore energy. It is clinically used to treat neurasthenia and coma resuscitation. Caffeine-based coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks are very popular. Therefore, caffeine is also the most commonly used psychotropic drug in the world.

In North America, 90% of adults use caffeine every day. Many natural sources of caffeine also contain a variety of other xanthine alkaloids, including the cardiotonic theophylline and theobromine as well as other substances such as tannic acid.

On October 27, 2017, the list of carcinogens published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization initially compiled the reference, and caffeine was in the list of 3 types of carcinogens. ^[1]

Can Coke kill sperm?

Because of its unique taste, Coke has swept the world for more than 100 years. At the same time, it is also controversial because of problems such as bone and obesity. The recent spermicidal argument is even more sensational and confusing.

Cola harms health more: Excessive drinking of Coke will consume a large amount of caffeine, which will lead to mental disturbances due to irregular work and rest; excessive caffeine intake will also cause intestinal cramps. Long-term drinking will cause chronic gastritis, stimulate kidney function, and cause children to polyuria and lose A lot of calcium, affecting bone development.
Can Coke kill sperm? More: Cola is used to drink, it must first enter the digestive system and has nothing to do with the reproductive system. Cola spermicide does not occur in the body. Furthermore, sperm survival is inherently short, so cola sperm killing is completely nonsense.

Related entries:: Caffeine reproductive system

Content finishing: Indifferent lower limit

Chinese name: caffeine

English name: Caffeine

Caffeine source

caffeine Caffeine is a plant alkaloid that can be found in many plants. As a natural insecticide, it paralyzes insects that eat caffeine-containing plants. The most commonly used caffeinated plants in humans include coffee, tea, and some cocoa. Other infrequent uses include Paraguayan holly and guanana trees, which are commonly used for tea or energy drinks. Two caffeine aliases: Madine and Guarana are derived from these two plants.

The main source of caffeine in the world is coffee beans (seeds of the coffee tree), and coffee beans are also the raw material of coffee. The caffeine content in coffee depends to a large extent on the variety of coffee beans and the method of making the coffee, and even the caffeine content in coffee beans on the same tree varies greatly. In general, the content of caffeine in a cup of coffee ranges from 40 mg in arabic espresso to 100 mg in espresso. Deep roast coffee generally has less caffeine than light roast coffee because roasting reduces the caffeine content in coffee beans. Arabica coffee usually has lower caffeine content than medium-fruit coffee. Coffee also contains trace amounts of theophylline, but does not contain theobromine.

Tea is another important source of caffeine. The content of caffeine in each cup of tea is generally only half of that in each cup, which depends on the strength of the tea. Certain varieties of tea, such as black tea and oolong tea, have higher caffeine content than other teas. Tea contains a small amount of theobromine and slightly higher theophylline than coffee. The making of tea has a great influence on the tea, but the color of the tea can hardly indicate the amount of caffeine. The caffeine content of Japanese green tea is much lower than that of many black teas, such as Laoshan tea, which contains almost no caffeine.

caffeine Cocoa powder also contains a small amount of caffeine. Chocolate is a weak stimulant mainly due to the theobromine and theophylline contained in it. A typical 28-gram milk chocolate has about the same caffeine content as decaf coffee.

Caffeine is also a common ingredient in soft drinks, such as cola, which was originally made from cola fruit. A bottle of soft drink typically contains 10 mg to 50 mg of caffeine. Energy drinks, such as Red Bull, contain 80 mg of caffeine per bottle. The caffeine in these beverages is derived from the original ingredients they use or the additives obtained from decaf coffee, and is also chemically synthesized. Guarana, the basic ingredient of many energy drinks, contains a large amount of caffeine and a small amount of theobromine. Naturally occurring slow-release excipients contain small amounts of theophylline.

Caffeine properties

Caffeine chemical properties

Chinese name: Caffeine
English name: Caffeine
Alias name: 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
More aliases: 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
Molecular formula: C ₈ H ₁₀ N ₄ O ₂
Molecular weight: 194.19 ^[2]

Caffeine physical properties

caffeine 1. Properties: It usually exists in the form of no crystal water and one crystal water, and it is white powder or white needle crystal. Odorless and bitter.

2. Density (g / mL, 18/4 ): 1.23

3. Relative vapor density (g / mL, air = 1): Not determined

4. Melting point (oC): 238 ° C, 178 ° C sublimation. Under the pressure of 133 Pa, it sublimes quickly at 160-165 ° C.

5. Boiling point (oC, atmospheric pressure): Not determined

6. Boiling point (oC, 5.2kPa): Not determined

7. Refractive index: Not determined

8. Flash point (oC): Not determined

9. Specific rotation (o): Not determined

10. Spontaneous ignition point or ignition temperature (oC): Not determined

11. Vapor pressure (kPa, 25oC): Not determined

12. Saturated vapor pressure (kPa, 60oC): Not determined

13. Combustion heat (KJ / mol): Not determined

14. Critical temperature (oC): Not determined

15. Critical pressure (KPa): Not determined

16. Logarithm of oil-water (octanol / water) partition coefficient: Not determined

17. Upper explosion limit (%, V / V): Not determined

18. Lower explosion limit (%, V / V): Not determined

19. Solubility: Each gram of caffeine is soluble in 46 ml of water, 5.5 ml of hot water (80 ° C), 1.5 ml of boiling water, 66 ml of ethanol, 22 ml of hot ethanol (60 ° C), 50 ml of acetone, 5.5 ml of chloroform, 530 ml of ether, 100 ml of benzene, or 22 ml of boiling benzene. Very soluble in pyrrole and tetrahydrofuran with 4% water. Soluble in ethyl acetate, slightly soluble in petroleum ether. The solubility of this product salt in water is based on benzoate; cinnamate; citrate; salicylic acid increases in order; caffeine hydrochloride; sulfate; phosphate is easily soluble in water or alcohol, and Decomposes into free base and acid. ^[2]

Caffeine molecular structure data

Caffeine (3 photos)

1. Molar refractive index: 50.38

2. Molar volume (cm3 / mol): 133.3

3. Isometric Zhang Rong (90.2K): 364.5

4. Surface tension (dyne / cm): 55.7

5. Polarizability (10-24cm3): 19.97 ^[2]

Caffeine pharmacology

Caffeine has a significant effect on spiders ^[3] It has the function of stimulating the central nervous system and is addictive. ^[2]

Caffeine storage method

Non-toxic plastic bag or glass bottle sealed packaging. Store in a cool, dry place. ^[4]

Caffeine synthesis method

1. The urea method is neutralized by chloroacetic acid; cyanation; acidification to obtain cyanoacetic acid, and then condensed with urea to obtain cyanoacetyl urea, and then cyclized; acidification; nitrosation; reduction; acylation; methylation to obtain caffeine.

2. The dimethyl urea method condenses dimethyl urea from urea and monomethylamine, and condenses with cyanoacetic acid to 1,3-dimethylacetylurea, and then cyclizes; nitrosation; reduction; formylation; ring Combined; methylation to get caffeine. Dimethylurea method has high yield; low cost; less consumption; short cycle; low equipment requirements; easy operation; easy to control, suitable for industrial production. In addition, when producing low-caffeine coffee, a by-product of caffeine is obtained. In addition to the method of extraction from natural substances and the above-mentioned total synthetic method, there are also semi-synthetic methods. Human cocoa extracts theobromine and then methylates it to caffeine, an earlier semi-synthetic method. Preparation of caffeine from bird faeces or uric acid also belongs to this type of synthesis.
3. Neutralize, cyanate, and acidify chloroacetic acid to obtain cyanoacetic acid, then condense with urea to obtain cyanoacetylurea, and then obtain caffeine by acidification, nitrosation, reduction, acylation, and methylation. It can also be extracted from tea leaves, coffee beans, and cocoa.
4. The main method of preparation is natural extraction. Put 100g tea leaves into the filter paper tube of the Soxhlet extractor, add 670ml of 95% ethanol, add 330ml of ethanol to the flask, and heat and reflux under water bath until the color of the extract is lighter (2.5 ~ 3h). Then, the extract was decolorized with activated carbon. After decolorization, suction filtration was performed while hot to obtain a brown liquid. Ethanol (about 420ml) was recovered by distillation. The remaining liquid was poured out while hot, 45g of quicklime powder was added, stirred into a slurry and steamed on a steam bath Dried into powder, and then separated by sublimation to obtain caffeine. ^[2]

Caffeine Regulation

The People's Republic of China lists caffeine as a "psychotropic substance" under control, which is a drug. According to Article 347 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, no matter how many drugs are smuggled, sold, transported, or manufactured, criminal responsibilities should be investigated and criminal penalties imposed. ^[5] According to Article 347 of the Criminal Law and the Supreme People s Court s interpretation, the maximum penalty for those involved in large quantities (200 kg or more) is the death penalty, and those involved in large quantities (more than 50 kg but less than 200 kg) are punished for 7 years. The term of imprisonment above. Article 348 of the Criminal Code lists illegal possession of "large" or "large" drugs as a crime punishable by imprisonment.

On August 1, 2006, the Consumer Protection Association of the Executive Yuan of the Taiwan Region of China implemented a caffeine grading system, which mainly targeted fresh brewed coffee, including espresso or other types, in 11 major coffee chains in Taiwan. The green color difference sign reminds consumers of the caffeine content of each cup of coffee. Among them, red is 200-300 mg or more, yellow is 100-200 mg, and green is 100 mg or less. This measure is not mandatory, but most of the industry's cooperation, but the labeling method may not be clear, some are marked on the menu, and some are printed as leaflets for consumers to request (such as Starbucks). ^[4]