here's another compound most of us consume:

Caffeine is a chemical compound found naturally in such foods as coffee beans, tea, cacao beans (chocolate), kola nuts, maté, and guarana. It is well known for its characteristic, intensely bitter taste, and as a stimulant of the central nervous system, heart, and respiration. It is also a diuretic. It is added to some soft drinks such as colas and Mountain Dew.

Chemical properties

The Caffeine molecule is an alkaloid of the methylxanthine family, which also includes the similar compounds theophylline and theobromine. In its pure state it is an intensely bitter white powder. Its chemical formula is C8H10N4O2, its systematic name is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine or 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione, and its structure is shown to the right.
Physical properties

Pure caffeine occurs as odorless, white, fleecy masses, glistening needles or powder.

BOILING POINT:
178 °C (sublimes)
MELTING POINT: 238 °C
SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 1.2
VOLATILITY:
0.5%
VAPOR PRESSURE: 760 mm Hg @ 178 °C
pH: 6.9 (1% solution)
SOLUBILITY
IN WATER: 2.17%
VAPOR DENSITY: 6.7
MOLECULAR WEIGHT: 194.19

Sources

One dose of caffeine is generally considered to be 100 mg, delivered by one 5 fl oz / 1.5 dl cup of drip coffee or one caffeine tablet. Real-world coffee varies considerably in caffeine content per cup, from about 75 - 250 mg. Tea and cola contain somewhat less caffeine per serving than coffee, while yerba mate contains significantly more.

The amount of caffeine in some common consumables is approximately as follows:

* Chocolate Milk - 3-6 mg per ounce (100 - 210 mg per kg)
* Chocolate, bittersweet - 25 mg per ounce (875 mg per kg)
* Cocoa - 0.5 mg per ounce (17 mg per litre)
* Coffee, brewed (drip) - 4-20 mg per ounce (130 - 680 mg per litre)
* Coffee, instant - 4-12 mg per ounce (130 - 400 mg per litre)
* Coffee, decaffeinated - 0.4-0.6 mg per ounce (13 - 20 mg per litre)
* Energy drink - 10 mg per ounce (340 mg per litre). Some countries cap the caffeine content at 135 mg per litre.
* Espresso - 100 mg per ounce (3400 mg per litre)
* Soft drink (caffeinated) - 3-8 mg per ounce (100 - 270 mg per litre)
* Caffeine pills - 200 mg (100 mg in many countries within EU)
* Black tea, brewed (USA) - 2.5-11 mg per ounce (85 - 370 mg per litre)
* Black tea, brewed (other) - 3-14 mg per ounce (100 - 470 mg per litre)
* Tea, instant - 3.5 mg per ounce (120 mg per litre)
* Tea, canned iced - 2-3 mg per ounce (70 - 100 mg per litre)
* Yerba maté, cured herb - 280-425 mg per ounce

In the European Union, a warning must be placed on packaging if the caffeine content of any beverage exceeds 150 mg per litre. This includes caffeine from any source (including guarana, which is often found in energy drinks). Caffeine is in many countries classified as a flavouring.

Mechanism of Action

The caffeine molecule is thought to act by blocking adenosine receptors on the surface of cells. This thereby blocks a pathway leading to breakdown of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). The usual effect of adenosine in nerve cells is to inhibit nerve conduction by inhibiting post-synaptic potentials. The caffeine molecule, being structurally similar to adenosine, binds to the same receptors but does not stimulate them, thereby decreasing the adenosine action. The resulting increased nerve activity causes the release of the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline), which in turn leads to several effects such as higher heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased blood flow to muscles, decreased blood flow to the skin and inner organs, and release of glucose by the liver. It also increases the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, similar to amphetamines. Other purported mechanisms of action of the caffeine molecule include mobilisation of intracellular calcium and inhibition of specific phosphodiesterases, however these only occur at high non-physiological concentrations.

Metabolism and toxicology

Caffeine is quickly and completely removed from the brain and, unlike other CNS stimulants or alcohol, its effects are short lived. In addition, caffeine does not negatively affect concentration or higher mental functions, and hence caffeinated drinks are often consumed in the course of work.

Continued consumption of caffeine can lead to tolerance. Upon withdrawal, the body becomes oversensitive to adenosine, causing the blood pressure to drop dramatically, leading to headache and other symptoms. Recent studies suggest that caffeine intake (in coffee) may decrease the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, but additional study is needed.

Too much caffeine can lead to caffeine intoxication. The symptoms of this disorder are restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, flushed face, diuresis, and gastrointestial complaints. They can occur in some people after as little as 250 mg/d. More than 1 g/d may result in muscle twitching, rambling flow of thought and speech, cardiac arrhythmia, and psychomotor agitation. Caffeine intoxication can lead to symptoms similar to panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. The LD50 is estimated to be about 192 mg/kg of body mass, or about 72 cups of coffee for an average adult.
[Edited 7/28/07 4:39am]

Here's a nugget for discussion as alot of people on the org enjoy smoking cigarettes, but I would imaging they are enlightened to the dangers of that activity.

Pot is a schedule 1 controlled substance in the United States. In law school I studied health issues in the law and one of the topics was cigarettes. We found that cigarettes meet more of the criteria for a schedule 1 controlled substance than pot does. The major difference? Tobacco was a major industry in the US with enough money to have the competetion made and kept illegal. Discuss.

it's the same everywhere.....I'm curious for your findings here in Europe after the first 6 months spent.....I notice that you're quite 'negative' about your homecountry now that you've made the decision to move to the UK!

I'm about to leave for the golfcourse, to get my ass kicked by.....:

Pot is the root of organized crime which is very much alive in my country! You can say: legalize it (it's not legal in the Netherlands, just tolerated) and you get psychotics who are also losers.....or you leave it illegal, and all you have are some gangsters whacking eachother over some pot.....

I choose the latter!

I guess that goes to show exactly how well you know Valory. If you had bothered to know her by either reading her in P+R or actually knowing her beyond the limited interaction you have had then you would have known her stance on the US and on the pot issue. Her feelings on the US and this issue have been the same since way before i even knew her but snap judgements in a place like this are easy to make i guess. Your feelings on issues like this are not the be all and end all, each country and each situation is different.

Dude, please don't get all defensive on me.....I have never claimed that I know Valory, neither did I attack her.....anyhow, this is a public forum, I'm just reacting on stuff I read.....mostly without knowing the person behind (some exceptions, you happen to be one of them!).

Anyways, I'm gonna abandon this discussion in a while, as I feel it won;t ever lead to a conclusion.....


[Edited 7/28/07 17:11pm]

Both of you have the same views on pot anyways..it is all good.


This is what Phil wears golfing:

Jeans on a golf course?????

Fuckin' outrageous.....that should not be allowed

Like I've told tou earlier, the dutch are tolerant.....after that, there's no way back! And who's gonna protest a girl like her???



Anyways, she's has kicked my ass on the course today.....

BTW she is over rotating too i will bet she pushes right or hits a heavy fade

The researchers said they couldn't prove that marijuana use itself increases the risk of psychosis but there could be something else about marijuana users that lead to the psychoses.

Dude, WHO CARES?????

Well that depends if you wanna beat her or hump her

thought I told you, Phil.....I'm a lover, not a fighter!

The fact that they couldn't should've tempered the release of the declaration that weed causes it...in statistics its known as a spurious correlation...

...for the record, I've never experienced a psychotic episode and I smoked for a long time....
[Edited 7/29/07 3:05am]

Like I have said a couple times on this thread- I think it has more to do with the number of ppl that smoke pot- there is a very high number out there that do. They are doctors, lawyers, politicians, musicians, all types of ppl. From professionals to blue collared ppl.

My work involves studying the effects of medications and many times we have ppl that report side effects like headaches which more times than not were NOT caused by the medication yet we still have to report as a possible side effect.

so saying marijuana causes psychosis is a general unfounded statement. I just wanted to see what my fellow orgers thought.

Radar Magazine currently has an interesting article on how to hide your stash from the cops: http://www.radarmagazine....exas_1.php

As for me, I've tried pot and didn't like it. I don't need drugs in my life - well, other than ciggies, I mean. I could live without alchohol, caffeine or analgesics, so long as I have my nicotine.

I guess we all have our vices....

Yes me too... I have the munchies without the weed. I think I am stress eating