Comment · Sat, February 15, 2014
Issue with Caffeine HCL Solution
Original post in this thread
MisterYouAreSoDumb · 7 points
I am not a chemist by any means, so I am a little unclear about a couple things. I am trying to make a solution of caffeine HCL by doing an acid/base reaction with anhydrous caffeine and hydrochloric acid. I am doing this to increase the solubility of caffeine in water, as this is really the only way to get it in the concentrations I need.
So I slowly add 24 grams of caffeine to 30ml of 38% hydrochloric acid. Then I add water till the solution reaches a total volume of 120ml. At that point, it clears up and forms a perfect solution with no caffeine left suspended. I checked the pH of the solution, and it is neutral at 7. At this point I figure it worked properly, since the pH is neutral. However, the solution is super sour/acidic in taste. I double checked my pH test strips in pure water and a solution of citric acid and water, and they seem to be fine. The pure water gives the same reading as my caffeine HCL solution.
So a couple questions. First, is a solution of caffeine HCL going to be stable at room temperature, and be safe to consume? Two, why is it sour if the pH is neutral?
What they were answering
AUSinUSA · 1 points
How did you come up with those numbers? I don't really feel like doing the math.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb
I didn't. I added till I neutralized the pH. However, I think my pH strips are off. That, or I am insane.