Again, when caffeine enters your body, its distinct shape allows it to interact with those adenosine receptors in your brain, leading to increased alertness, focus, and energy levels.Ĭaffeine is a purine alkaloid, which is a type of organic compound with a ring structure containing nitrogen. The way these atoms are arranged gives caffeine its distinct shape-and also its stimulant properties. In other words, it is made up of eight carbon atoms, ten hydrogen atoms, four nitrogen atoms, and two oxygen atoms. This is how caffeine works its magic: by tricking your body into thinking it's something else entirely.Ĭaffeine has a molecular formula of C8H10N4O2. In fact, caffeine's structure looks so much like adenosine that it can actually bind to the same receptors in your brain. When it comes to its chemical structure, caffeine is very similar to another well-known compound: adenosine. Pure caffeine definitely has a kick to it, but I think I'll stick to drinking caffeine in coffee rather than ordering it neat. It's often described as being "very bitter," "astringent," or "harsh." It may not be the worst tasting thing on earth, but it's not something you would want to eat by the spoonful, either (for a variety of reasons). It's difficult to describe the taste of pure caffeine because it's so bitter. While we're here, we may as well answer the question: what does caffeine taste like? Oh, and don't let all the false color images out there fool you-pure caffeine is not blue, yellow, or pink. Those crystals seem to like to hang out in fibrous, strand-like groups. To put it simply, caffeine crystals look like long, thin, clear quartz crystals, but with sharper edges. It just means that the crystals have three unequal axes at right angles. If you haven't used that word in conversation in a while, don't worry-neither have I. roasting and brewing) and a wide range of pH levels without breaking down.Ĭaffeine crystals are orthorhombic in shape. This lattice-like structure is why caffeine is so stable-it can withstand high temperatures (i.e. However, looking at caffeine through an electron microscope, you can see that it is made up of small crystals that are arranged in a lattice-like structure-tiny, thin, white-clear crystals with sharp edges. It looks a lot like shimmering, crystalline confectioners' sugar (which is a fancy way of saying "powdered sugar"). With the naked eye, caffeine simply looks like a plain white powder. It may surprise you to learn that caffeine is a crystal-more specifically, a white crystal. (Until I researched this, my guess was "colorless liquid." Boy, was I wrong.) This action increases alertness and wakefulness.īut, if you had to guess: What does caffeine look like? It works by binding to receptors in the brain and blocking a neurotransmitter called adenosine. It can also be artificially added to foods and beverages, like sodas, sports drinks, and energy drinks.Ĭaffeine stimulates the central nervous system, heart, and muscles. A Quick Recap on What Caffeine Is (In Case You've Forgotten)Ĭaffeine is a stimulant that occurs naturally in things like coffee, tea, and to a lesser extent, chocolate. Whether you’re a coffee fiend or a casual sipper, there’s no doubt about it-the caffeine in joe has some serious benefits. It can even temporarily enhance physical performance. It can improve alertness and focus, and even help to boost short-term memory. It comes as a compressed file.We all love coffee-and the caffeine in it. Regardless, this was a great way to keep a computer from lapsing into sleep.Ĭaffeine is freeware. While this doesn't hurt its overall excellence, a timer or scheduler might be a smart inclusion. Caffeine is so simple and basic that it offers no features, special or otherwise. Since that was what was supposed to happen (or not happen) it is obviously an effective way to keep your screen open. We had no way to prove or disprove whether the keystroke happened, but the program lived up to its billing: we left the computer idle for several minutes, which normally would have resulted in the screensaver kicking in, and nothing happened. The program's description claims it simulated a keystroke once a minute in order to keep our computer from going to sleep. It's pretty much impossible to be confused with such a simple layout. Caffeine basically has only an on/off switch. We enjoyed this program's interface, because it didn't try to overextend itself. It's handy for times when you don't want a screensaver but also don't want to change your desktop settings. Like a strong cup of coffee, the program prevents your screensaver from kicking in without your having to disable the screensaver itself. Caffeine keeps a computer from locking up or falling asleep by regularly simulating keystrokes.
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