video tutorial Theobromine extraction from cocoa powder

Name: video tutorial - Theobromine extraction from cocoa powder
Uploaded: 2025-12-11T09:03:44.103Z
Duration: 9 min 29 s
Description: caffeine from coffee. Caffeine is a xanthate stimulant. Today we're going to extract a...different xanthate stimulant, theobromine, and we're going to be starting with cocoa powder

Objective: extract theobromine, a xanthine stimulant, from cocoa powder.
Starting material: 40 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
Purification and impurity removal: treat with a solvent to remove acidic impurities, then add magnesium hydroxide to form salts that are insoluble in organic solvents; create a dry paste with cocoa and methanol.
Drying and preparation: evaporate solvents and bake to obtain a dry powder.
Non-polar extraction: use dichloromethane to extract non-polar components; stir for 2 hours; filter and wash; dry the organic phase with magnesium sulfate; evaporate solvent to concentrate.
Precipitation and isolation: concentrate, then add diethyl ether to precipitate theobromine; chill to precipitate, filter and dry to yield crude theobromine (170 mg).
Result: crude theobromine is a fine off-white powder with bitter taste and mild numbing effect; yield lower than expected; improved yield could be achieved by longer reflux of cocoa with dichloromethane.
Notes: Theobromine is similar to caffeine but with less cardiovascular stimulation; DCM vapors are toxic; ensure ventilation.