Determination of Caffeine and Few Metals in Halabja Tea and Comparing with Various Tea Samples in Erbil Markets

This paper deals with two main parts: part (I) performed the caffeine levels evaluation in three commercial tea leaves (black, green, and herbal tea) in Erbil markets and Halabja city. The caffeine was extracted by liquid-liquid extraction using dichloromethane and chloroform solvents. The extracted caffeine was purified, and then identified by melting point (M.P), ultraviolet (UV) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy that provides spectra identical to the standard caffeine crystals. The level of caffeine in black tea was found greater than in green tea, presumably because black tea are made of older tea leaves, in contrast, there is no caffeine obtained from Halabja tea. Part (II) mentioned the determination of metal ions (lithium, sodium, potassium, and calcium) in 5 brands of black and green tea (leaves and bags) in addition to Halabja tea; using flame atomic emission (FAES) and flame atomic absorption (FAAS) spectroscopy. The tea beverages were prepared by three different methods: (chemically, infusion, and continuous infusion). There was a moderate quantity of sodium, potassium, and calcium was determined in the 5 brands of tea, while lithium found in the trace. Halabja tea was free from caffeine while lithium, sodium, potassium, and calcium elements of the Halabja herbal tea are all higher than all the other types of tea leaves and bags