What's in coffee

Molecules in it 14

• CaffeineC8H10N4O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list: ~95 mg per 8 oz cup from source

  The molecule behind coffee's lift: it keeps you feeling alert by getting in the way of your brain's own sleepiness signal.

  As a pure substance: LD50 192 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• Chlorogenic acidC16H18O9

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  A big part of coffee's tang and brown color, and one of the most abundant antioxidants in a typical cup.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Warning; Irritant from source

• Caffeic acidC9H8O4

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  Named for coffee, where it is abundant, but present in nearly every plant. It is half of chlorogenic acid, the main polyphenol in a cup.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Warning; Irritant, Health hazard from source

• TheobromineC7H8N4O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  Chocolate's gentle stimulant, a milder cousin of caffeine that gives cocoa its lingering lift and faint bitterness.

  As a pure substance: LD50 300 mg/kg (dog, oral) from source

• TheophyllineC7H8N4O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  A close relative of caffeine that turns up in tea, and a mild stimulant of its own.

  As a pure substance: LD50 332 mg/kg (mouse, oral) from source

• Nicotinic acidC6H5NO2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  Vitamin B3, which your cells use to turn food into usable energy; roasting even creates a little of it in coffee.

  As a pure substance: LD50 7,000 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• GuaiacolC7H8O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  The core of smoke flavour. It is what wood smoke deposits on barbecue and smoked fish, and part of the smell of roasted coffee and whisky.

  As a pure substance: LD50 520 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• FurfuralC5H4O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  The almond-and-bread smell that forms when bran, corn cobs, or oat hulls are heated with acid. It also builds up in stale coffee and old wine.

  As a pure substance: LD50 127 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• HydroxymethylfurfuralC6H6O3

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  A signature of browning that builds up as sugars are heated in baking and in honey.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Warning; Irritant from source

• AcrylamideC3H5NO

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  A molecule that forms when starchy foods are toasted or fried to a deep brown.

  As a pure substance: LD50 124 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• WaterH2O

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  The one molecule everything else on this site dissolves in, freezes in, or is carried by. Two hydrogens and an oxygen, bent at about 104 degrees.

  As a pure substance: LD50 25,000 mg/kg (mouse, iv) from source

• PotassiumK

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  The metal that catches fire on water, and, as its ion, the charge that lets every nerve in your body fire. Bananas are famous for it. Element 19.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Danger; Flammable, Corrosive from source

• MagnesiumMg

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  The metal that burns with a blinding white flame, the lightest structural metal in use, and the ion at the centre of every chlorophyll molecule. Element 12.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Danger; Flammable, Irritant from source

• AcetaldehydeC2H4O

  On MoleculeFinder's curated coffee list from source

  What alcohol first turns into as the body breaks it down, and a large part of a hangover.

  As a pure substance: LD50 661 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source