DETERMINATION AND COMPARISON OF CAFFEINE CONTENT OF DIFFERENT BRANDS OF 3 IN 1

COFFEE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Oxidation- reduction reaction is the electron transfer on one reactant to another. The
amount of an oxidant present in a sample is determined by titrating with a standard solution of
reducing agent. Similarly, the reducing capacity of a substance may be contained by titrating
against a standard solution of an oxidizing agent (Pusing, 2014)
Iodine is a versatile redox reagent because its potential falls in the middle of the range of
potentials observed in aqueous solutions. Thus in the presence of strong oxidants, such as
dichromate, iodide is oxidized to iodine; in the presence of reducing agents, such as Arsenic (III),
iodine is reduced to iodide.
Solid I2 is only slightly soluble in water, but in the presence of excess iodide it forms the
soluble triiodide ion, I3- , and it is in this form that it is used for redox titrations. Reducing agents
are determined by direct titration with standard I3-. For the determination of oxidizing agents it is
not feasible to titrate directly with standard iodide, because a high concentration of iodide is
needed to form the I3- complex. Instead excess iodide is added to oxidizing agents, and the
excess I3-- formed is titrated with a standard solution of a reducing agent, thiosulfate, S2O32-.
An advantage to all of these analyses is the ready availability of a specific indicator,
starch. I3- reacts with starch to form an intense blue color that is visible even at very low I3-
concentrations. In direct titrations with I3- the endpoint is signaled by the appearance of the blue
color when the first trace of I3- is produced after the equivalence point. In titrations of triiodide
with thiosulfate, the endpoint is signaled by the disappearance of the blue color. Care must be
taken, however, to add the starch after most of the I3- has already reacted. In the presence of
large I3- concentrations a rather stable complex forms, and the blue color persists beyond the
equivalence point. (Harris 7th ed., 2011)
In this experiment, we will determine the caffine contentof a 3 in 1 redox titration. The
redox titration is better than an acid-base titration since there are additional acids in a juice, but
few of them interfere with the oxidation of ascorbic acid by iodine. Iodine is relatively insoluble,
but this can be improved by complexing the iodine with iodide to form triiodide. (Determination
of Vitamin C by Redox Titration with Iodine, n.d.)
I2 + I- ↔ I3-

Caffeine, C8 H10 N4 O2,, is a methylxanthine naturally occurring in some beverages and

also used as a pharmacological agent. Caffeine's most notable pharmacological effect is as a
central nervous system stimulant, increasing alertness and producing agitation. It also
relaxes SMOOTH MUSCLE, stimulates CARDIAC MUSCLE, stimulates DIURESIS, and appears
to be useful in the treatment of some types of headache. Several cellular actions of caffeine
have been observed, but it is not entirely clear how each contributes to its pharmacological
profile. Among the most important are inhibition of cyclic nucleotide
PHOSPHODIESTERASES, antagonism of ADENOSINE RECEPTORS, and modulation of
intracellular calcium handling.

Objectives of the Study

In the determination of caffeine in a 3 in 1 coffee, the experiment aims
1. To determine the caffeine content of a 3 in 1 coffee by oxidation-reduction
reaction using iodine.
2. To undertake an iodometric or indirect method of analysis.
3. To compare which of the different brands of coffee has more caffeine C content.