THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 31 



PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE. 



The various manufacturers who produce caffeine from tea have 

 their more or less secret processes. In general terms the method of 

 extracting the alkaloid from tea is as follows: Ten parts of the tea 

 are mixed with one part of lime and digested with three parts' of hot 

 water for several hours on the hot-water bath. The extract is pressed 

 through cheese cloth and the process repeated several times. The 

 extracts are united, allowed to settle, filtered and treated with lead 

 acetate till the addition of more lead acetate still produces turbidity. 

 The precipitate is allowed to settle, the clear liquid decanted and con- 

 centrated on the water bath, mixed with pure potassium sulphate and 

 animal charcoal (one-fourth part of each), the whole evaporated to 

 dryness and then extracted with chloroform. The chloroform is dis- 

 tilled off and the residue recrystallized from boiling water. This latter 

 process is sometimes repeated as many as six times till the caffeine 

 is cleansed from all coloring material, it having been brown at first. 

 There is also another process in which the caffeine is from the start 

 extracted with chloroform, but this method is more expensive on ac- 

 count of the greater consumption of chloroform, but the product is 

 supposed to be of greater purity. The less pure article is usually ex- 

 ported. 



There are no statistics published which would indicate the produc- 

 tion of or foreign trade in caffeine in Germany, but from information 

 obtained from one of the large German chemical companies, there 

 are about 20,000 kilos (44,092^ pounds) manufactured annually, of 

 which more than one-half is exported. The imports of the product 

 are comparatively small, probably not over 1,000 kilos (2,204.6 pounds). 



The total European caffeine production is estimated at 23,000 kilos 

 (50,706 pounds), of which 13,000 kilos (28,660 pounds) are exported 

 from the various countries of production. 



NEW SKATING RINK. 



Notice is hereby given that a new skating rink is now in oper- 

 ation on the asphalt floor of the Chemical Laboratory. No skates 

 (ice, roller or other kinds) are required. An entirely new acrobatic 

 sport. 



Those wishing to become proficient in the art, will kindly 

 apply to Prof. E. F. Krapf, expert, director and instructor. 



P. S. — Kindly bring along some Florence or Erlenmeyer flasks or 

 even toy balloons, as they are necessary at all times. 



