ERIC Number: EJ1300850
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jun
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
Analysis of Consumer Products: Demonstrating the Power of LC-MS/MS for the Simultaneous Analysis of Caffeine and Other Methylxanthines in Guarana´ Fruit Powder Extract
Novaki, Luzia P.; Chinelatto, Ana M.; Silva, Vania A. B. B.; El Seoud, Omar A.
Journal of Chemical Education, v98 n6 p2083-2089 Jun 2021
Dilute guarana´ ("Paullinia cupana") powder aqueous extract is a soft drink that contains three structurally related methylxanthines (MXs), caffeine (CF), theobromine (TB), and theophylline (TP); CF is present in a large excess. Literature data show that values of [lambda][subscript max] and [epsilon][subscript max] of these three MXs are very close. Consequently, quantitative analysis using a single technique (UV-vis) is difficult, at best. We asked our students how to determine the three MXs simultaneously. They suggested use of chromatographic separation followed by mass spectrometry (MS) detection. Use of electrospray ionization solved the MX structure identification problem only partially because T Band TP have the same molar mass. Using LC-MS/MS solved this problem, as TB and TP have distinct retention times and fragmentation patterns. This is an important everyday situation (analysis of foods and drinks)because of the popularity of CF-containing drinks (guarana, coffee, tea, cacao) and health concerns about abuse of CF consumption.
Descriptors: Chemistry, Stimulants, Scientific Concepts, Laboratory Experiments, Spectroscopy, Molecular Structure, Food, Health
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A