The speaker, a long-time fan of energy drinks, particularly Red Bull, shares their journey in creating a caffeine-free version. Despite reaching out to Red Bull with the idea, they were rejected. Undeterred, the speaker decided to take matters into their own hands.
The speaker began by extracting caffeine from Red Bull using a solvent, DCM (dichloromethane), and a process similar to the one they previously used to extract caffeine from tea and coffee. They faced challenges, including the acidity of Red Bull, which can interfere with the extraction of caffeine. However, they found that Red Bull is less acidic than coffee, which gave them hope.
The speaker then attempted to remove the caffeine from the Red Bull syrup. They used a desiccator to remove most of the water and reduce the scale of the extraction. They then poured the syrup into a separatory funnel and added DCM. However, they made a mistake by shaking the mixture too hard, which caused DCM to form emulsions and take days to separate. They tried various methods to break the emulsion, including using an ultrasonic bath and heating it up, but these methods failed.
After starting the extraction process again, the speaker decided to be more careful this time. They gently rocked the funnel back and forth to maximize surface area and improve efficiency. After a few minutes, they put the funnel back on the stand and waited for the layers to separate. However, they realized that the DCM layer was still a bad emulsion.
The speaker decided to start over again. They poured more Red Bull syrup into a dish, put it back into the desiccator, and ran it overnight. The next day, they had another 100 milliliters of concentrated syrup, but it was darker than the first run. They repeated the extraction process several times, each time using less DCM.
After the extraction, the speaker had about 75 milliliters of DCM, which they believed was all the caffeine that they had removed. They then attempted to remove the remaining DCM by evaporating it. They poured the DCM solution into a round-bottom flask and attached a stir bar with a vacuum adapter. They slowly opened the valve, which caused the DCM to start boiling. They gradually brought it to a full vacuum, which took about 40 minutes.
After the extraction, the speaker had a syrup that should be caffeine-free but had a lot of DCM in it. They attempted to remove the DCM by evaporating it, but they were concerned that it might still be wet and potentially dangerous to drink. They used a vacuum pump to remove the DCM.
The speaker then added some drying agent to the syrup and filtered it through some cotton. They washed the beaker and the drying agent with a bunch of extra DCM to make sure that there was no caffeine left behind. They then evaporated the DCM from the syrup.
The speaker tested the syrup to see if it was caffeine-free. They found a small amount of solid stuff, which they believed was caffeine. They calculated that they had removed about 29% of the caffeine from the Red Bull.
Finally, the speaker carbonated the syrup using a SodaStream machine and tasted it. They were surprised to find that it tasted almost exactly the same as regular Red Bull.
1. The video is sponsored by Ray Khan.
2. The speaker has always been a fan of energy drinks, particularly Red Bull.
3. The speaker is sensitive to caffeine and has trouble sleeping after consuming it after 4 p.m.
4. The speaker wanted to make a caffeine-free version of Red Bull.
5. Red Bull is acidic, which makes the extraction of caffeine challenging.
6. The speaker decided to extract the caffeine using an organic solvent that doesn't mix with water.
7. The speaker discovered that most of the caffeine in Red Bull is not extractable due to its acidity.
8. The speaker managed to extract around 46 milligrams of caffeine, reducing the original 160 milligrams by about 29%.
9. The speaker confirmed the presence of caffeine in the extracted substance through melting point and thin layer chromatography tests.
10. The extracted caffeine was found to be around 90% pure.
11. The speaker successfully reduced the amount of caffeine in Red Bull by around 24%.
12. The speaker repurposed the remaining syrup by using a desiccator and a home soda maker to carbonate it again.
13. The speaker found that the caffeine-reduced Red Bull tasted almost exactly the same as the original.