Sunday, February 27, 2011

Caffeine

C8H10N4O2  
Polarity of Caffeine
Caffeine is polar!

In this molecule, London Dispersion Forces, Dipole Dipole Forces, and Hydrogen Bonding are all present.  Dispersion forces happen because electrons are always in motion, one end of a molecule is either temporarily positive or negative.  Because of this, any two molecules can have a weak bond between them.  Dipole Dipole is an electrostatic attraction between the positive end of one molecule and the negative end of another.  These would form between the Hydrogen, which is more positive, and the Oxygen, which is more negative.  Hydrogen bonding is a temporary covalent bond that forms between Hydrogen and either Nitrogen, Fluorine, or in the case of caffeine, Oxygen. 


Caffeine
Caffeine can be found in more than sixty different plants produced from the purine xanthine, it is a natural constituent in coffee, tea, chocolate, and some soft drinks, it is added to consumer products such as soft drinks, diet pills, and analgesics. It is said to be the most widely used drug in the world, and more than 100 million people in the United States consume caffeine each day. It also has pharmacological uses: as a cardiac and respiratory stimulant and as an agent that promotes kidney diuresis.










3 comments:

  1. Your blog was very nicely done. The layout along with the different colors used added a nice and appealing effect to any reader. The two pictures dipicted the molecule nicely. In the second picture, the arrows drawn showed the higher and lower levels of electronegativity correctly. The explanation of the forces was excellent. But without talking about the difference between polar and non polar molecules and which this molecule is, made the forces section a little confusing. Your ad was also very well done. You clearly explained the many different ways in which caffine is used in a person's everyday life. Also the fact that you added some statistics about caffine use made the molecule more appealing because a lot of people use it everyday. Overall your blog was very well done!

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  2. 1. The appearance of your blog was very neat and easy to follow. It was simple but educational, and the contrast between the dark background and highlighted font made it easy to read.
    2. The molecule pictures were excellent, especially the drawn molecule diagram because it showed the extra effort you put into this project.
    3. I agree that this molecule is polar, but the section on polarity could have been a bigger font so it was easier to see.
    4. I think all of your intermolecular forces are correct and you really explained them well.
    5. I liked that the ad was on the side of the blog, were a regular ad could be seen and I think it sounded very realistic. You sold me on caffeine!
    Excellent Work :)

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  3. I really enjoyed your diagrams. As someone who isn't used to seeing professional pictures of molecules, the translation into the ball and stick method is useful. I hadn't realized that oxygen has unshared pairs in this molecule, which is what makes it polar.

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