Carolina ChemKits: Caffeine Extraction from Tea

Introduce students to organic extraction techniques with this "stimulating" kit. Students take advantage of the solubility differentials in various solvents to extract and isolate caffeine from tea leaves. They then calculate percent recovery and extend their learning to a real-world application of caffeine extraction. This kit does not use toxic methylene chloride and requires two 55-min class periods to complete. Kit materials are sufficient for a class of 30 students working in 10 groups of 3.