Where was caffeine discovered?

Answer 1

The first successful extraction of caffeine from coffee beans was achieved by a German chemist, Runge, in 1820. He was not trying to make decaffinated coffee however. He was looking for compounds that might explain his insomnia.

German chemist Ludwig Roselius, in the early 1900's, looked for a way to extract caffeine from coffe beans and still leave a a "drinkable" cup of coffee. He supposidly believed his father was poisoned from drinking too much coffee.

He found several compounds dissolved the caffeine without efecting the flavor - chloroform and benzene - but these left toxic residue that would have been many times worse than caffeine. Ludwig Roselius then decided to pre-treat the coffee beans with steam before treating with a caffeine-removing solvent. Steaming swells the beans, increasing their surface area and making the caffeine easier to remove. Roselius' discovery made commercial production of decaffeinated coffee possible. He founded Kaffee HAG in 1906.

He marketed his new product in Europe under various names, but in France he called it Caf� Sanka, from the french term meaning �sans caffeine.�

In 1923, Roselius marketed this product in the United States as Sanka, founding the Sanka Coffee Corporation in New York.

Does anyone know if the solvent he ended up using for his commercial brand was methylene chloride? This was what was most commonly used for a long time, until tests suggested it's possible carcinogenic properties and other methods have been explored.

Answer 2

Caffeine was isolated by a German Chemist, Friedrich Ferdinand Runge, in 1819.

However, ever since the Stone Age, humans have been ingesting caffeine. Early cultures discovered caffeine's ability to stimulate awareness and mitigate fatigue by chewing certain plants.

Answer 3

By a german man in 1819, it is in many plants one place with the plants is arabia

Answer 4

It was discovered in 1819 by Friedlieb Runge.