Buzz : The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine by Braun Stephen

Author:Braun, Stephen [Braun, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 1996-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

Caffeine: The Molecule

Another explanation for caffeine’s wide distribution in the plant kingdom is that it’s manufactured from a very common raw ingredient. The starting point for caffeine production is a ubiquitous molecule called xanthine:

Xanthine is found in both plants and animals. It is a raw material used constantly in the creation and maintenance of DNA. Xanthine isn’t usually found in great quantities in animal bodies because it is rapidly recycled into other molecules by enzymes. In humans, for instance, excess xanthine is usually converted into uric acid, which—as the name suggests—is excreted in urine. In plants that make caffeine, however, xanthine is shunted into an enzymatic assembly line that methodically attaches common molecular units called methyl groups. A methyl group is a carbon with three hydrogen atoms attached.

When a methyl group is attached to xanthine, a methylxanthine is formed. When a second is added, a dimethylxanthine is formed. And when a third is attached, a trimethylxanthine is created. Caffeine is a particular kind of trimethylxanthine. Here is its molecular picture:

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