By Willow Candage, Rowan Neall, Megan Rinald, and Talia Tanner

Faculty Mentor: Sarah Smith

Abstract

Quantification of concentration of caffeine in wild berry flavor celsius energy drinks obtained from UMW campus and Giant will be determined to observe if the actual concentration of caffeine is within ±5 mg of the reported concentration of 0.0029M. Caffeine is a commonly used stimulant, that 85% of Americans consume on an average of 40 to 150 mg of caffeine
daily. Excessive caffeine intake can cause adverse health effects such as an increase in anxiety blood pressure, and water retention. Since energy drinks are considered a dietary supplement, they are not regulated by the FDA and the non-regulation can lead to high concentrations of caffeine in energy drinks which may differ from the amount reported on the can. The
concentration of wild berry flavor Celsius will be measured using UV-Vis and Fluorometer instrumentation. A standard addition of 40 mg/L aspirin will be used to determine the concentration of caffeine, as caffeine on its own does not fluoresce, but does quench the fluorescence of aspirin. The concentration of caffeine in energy drinks will be calculated using a
standard calibration curve. It is expected that the concentration of caffeine will be within range of the expected value and will not differ by location from which the can was obtained due to the popularity of the Celsius brand.