Chemistry in daily life - coffee
Coffee is a brewed drink prepared
from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of "berries" from the Coffea plant. Coffee contains a variety
of compounds. There are more than 1,000 chemical compounds detected in coffee. Those are aliphatics, carbonyls, sulfur
containing compounds, alicyclics, ketones, aromatic benzenoids, phenols, heterocyclic
compound, furans, hydrofurans, pyrroles, pyridines, quinolines, pyrazines, uinoxalines,
indoles, thiophens, thiophenones, thiazoles, and xazole.
However,
the primary compound in coffee is caffeine (see the left,
Skeletal
structure of a caffeine molecule), which is known for its stimulant effects. Coffee also contains the monoamine oxidase inhibitors β-carboline and harmane. Those contribute not only to the unique flavour of coffee but also to the well-researched effects of coffee on human health.
