THE caffeineis an organic compound of the family of alkaloids. Alkaloids, in turn, are cyclic amines that have nitrogen-containing heterocyclic rings. In addition to being an alkaloid, caffeine is a amide (substance that has nitrogen attached to a carbonyl group). See below the chemical structure of caffeine, whose official nomenclature is 1,3,7-trimethyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione:
Note that the carbonyl group is in red, showing that two nitrogens in the caffeine formula are attached to this group, making it an amide. Furthermore, as it contains nitrogen in one cycle, it is also an alkaloid. Alkaloids are so called because they have basic or alkaline properties (their name means "similar to alkalis"), so caffeine is also basic.
The main sources of obtaining caffeine are the seed of the coffee(Arabica coffee) and the sheet of black tea (Camellia sinensis). THE mate herb (Ilex paraguariensis) it's the guarana (Paullinia cupana) also contain caffeine, but its extraction is not yet carried out from these materials. Also, it can be found in the
chocolate, in cola-based soft drinks (is present in kola nut, seed of the trees of the genus Glue sp., native to the forests of West Africa) and in several food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. As examples of the last three, we can mention Energizers, flu pills andanti-cellulite cream, respectively.
It belongs to a compound class called xanthine, or more specifically methylxanthines, one of the longest known stimulants; caffeine being one of the most potent in its class.
Caffeine is stimulating of the central nervous system and, like all alkaloids, it causes chemical dependency, ie addictive. With the information given above, it is observed that people often drink coffee so that the caffeine acts as a stimulant and they stay awake for longer. However, its effect, for this purpose, is very transient, so the person increases the doses of coffee. As caffeine leads to addiction, the person ingests more and more of this substance. Excessive consumption of caffeine can even lead to death, as it can cause irritability, insomnia, diarrhea (because it also acts as a diuretic) and heart palpitations. The lethal dose for a 70 kg adult person is 10 g (this is what contains 100 cups of coffee, 200 cans of cola and 50 kg of chocolate).
After just five minutes of consumption, caffeine is found throughout the body and its main immediate effects are increased metabolism, concentration and energy, relaxation of the smooth muscles of the bronchi, biliary tract, gastrointestinal tract and parts of the vascular system. It stays in the body for about 3 to 6 hours and is metabolized by the liver.
By Jennifer Fogaça
Graduated in Chemistry
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/quimica/quimica-cafeina.htm
