What is "caffeine"

caffein \caf*fe"in\, Caffeine \Caf*fe"ine\, n. [Cf. F. caf['e]ine. See Coffee.] (Chem.) A white, bitter, crystallizable substance, found in coffee and tea. It is identical with the alkaloid theine from tea leaves, and with guaranine from guarana. It is responsible for most of the stimulating effect of coffee or tea.

trimethyl-derivative of xanthine, 1830, from German Kaffein, coined by chemist F.F. Runge (1795-1867), apparently from German Kaffee "coffee" (see coffee) + chemical suffix -ine (2) (German -in). The form of the English word may be via French caféine.

n. An alkaloid, C₈H₁₀N₄O₂, found naturally in tea and coffee plants which acts as a mild stimulant of the central nervous system.

n. a bitter alkaloid found in coffee and tea that is responsible for their stimulating effects [syn: caffein]

Caffeine is a 2006 comedy starring Marsha Thomason, Mena Suvari, Breckin Meyer, Katherine Heigl, and Mike Vogel. It revolves around relationships of the staff and patrons of the quirky Black Cat Cafe in London one day.

Caffeine is the name of an alkaloid present in certain plants, such as coffee and tea.

Caffeine can also refer to:

In culture:

• Caffeine (film), a 2006 comedy film by Dean Craig and directed by John Cosgrove
• Caffeine (video game), a sci-fi horror videogame

In computing:

• Google Caffeine, a redesigned Google search architecture
• "Caffeine", the first JavaScript benchmark test, managed by Pendragon Software in 1990s and early 2000s
• Kaffeine, media player software for KDE

In music:

• "Caffeine", a song by Patty Larkin on her 1987 album I'm Fine
• "Caffeine", a song by Faith No More on their 1992 album Angel Dust
• "Caffeine", a song by The Dillinger Escape Plan on their debut EP The Dillinger Escape Plan
• "Caffeine", a song by Psychostick on their 2006 album, Sandwich
• "Caffeine", a song by Yang Yo-seob on his first EP The First Collage
• Caffeine (album), by the eponymous free improvisation trio

This page provides supplementary chemical data on caffeine.

Caffeine is an episodic survival horror video game created by Dylan Browne and developed by Incandescent Imaging. The creator posted the game on Indiegogo to help crowdfund the development. The game takes place on a derelict spaceship used to mine caffeine, and it is inspired by Condemned: Criminal Origins, F.E.A.R., and Doom 3. Caffeine was released in five episodes for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux on 5 October 2015.

Caffeine is the eponymous debut album by the free improvisation trio consisting of Jim Baker on piano, Steve Hunt on percussion and Ken Vandermark on reeds. It was recorded in 1993 and released on Okka Disk. By the time of recording, Vandermark and Hunt were members of the NRG Ensemble.

Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug. Unlike many other psychoactive substances, it is legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world. There are several known mechanisms of action to explain the effects of caffeine. The most prominent is that it reversibly blocks the action of adenosine on its receptor and consequently prevents the onset of drowsiness induced by adenosine. Caffeine also stimulates certain portions of the autonomic nervous system.

Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline purine, a methylxanthine alkaloid, and is chemically related to the adenine and guanine bases of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). It is found in the seeds, nuts, or leaves of a number of plants native to South America and East Asia and confers on them several survival and reproductive benefits. The most well known source of caffeine is the coffee bean, a misnomer for the seed of Coffea plants. Beverages containing caffeine are ingested to relieve or prevent drowsiness and to improve performance. To make these drinks, caffeine is extracted by steeping the plant product in water, a process called infusion. Caffeine-containing drinks, such as coffee, tea, and cola, are very popular; in 2005, 90% of North American adults consumed caffeine daily.

Caffeine can have both positive and negative health effects. It can be used to treat bronchopulmonary dysplasia of prematurity, and to prevent apnea of prematurity: caffeine citrate was placed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines in 2007. It may confer a modest protective effect against some diseases, including Parkinson's disease and certain types of cancer. One meta-analysis concluded that cardiovascular disease such as coronary artery disease and stroke is less likely with 3–5 cups of non-decaffeinated coffee per day but more likely with over 5 cups per day. Some people experience insomnia or sleep disruption if they consume caffeine, especially during the evening hours, but others show little disturbance. Evidence of a risk during pregnancy is equivocal; some authorities recommend that pregnant women limit consumption to the equivalent of two cups of coffee per day or less. Caffeine can produce a mild form of drug dependence – associated with withdrawal symptoms such as sleepiness, headache, and irritability – when an individual stops using caffeine after repeated daily intake. Tolerance to the autonomic effects of increased blood pressure and heart rate, and increased urine output, develops with chronic use (i.e., these symptoms become less pronounced or do not occur following consistent use).

Caffeine is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as " generally recognized as safe" (GRAS). Toxic doses, over 10 grams per day for an adult, are much higher than typical doses of under 500 milligrams per day. A cup of coffee contains 80–175 mg of caffeine, depending on what "bean" (seed) is used and how it is prepared (e.g. drip, percolation, or espresso). Thus it requires roughly 50–100 ordinary cups of coffee to reach a lethal dose. However pure powdered caffeine, which is available as a dietary supplement, can be lethal in tablespoon-sized amounts.