Decaffeination – how does it work?

By 2021-05-05T09:42:00

A photo of a cup of coffee with a smiley face appearing in the bubbles

Source: © Mongkolchon Akesin/Shutterstock

Organic solvent, supercritical carbon dioxide or water? A knowledge of solvents and solutions is essential for removing caffeine from your daily cuppa

The British are a nation of tea lovers and coffee enthusiasts but an increasing number of us are switching to the decaffeinated version of our daily cuppa.

This article explains how the caffeine is removed from tea leaves and coffee beans, using organic solvents, supercritical carbon dioxide or water and the role played by chemists. Perfect context for showing students how their learning of solutions and separation techniques is relevant to the real world.

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