This is a plant-derived substance for which limited data is currently available. The substance is not commercially available as a pesticide but is currently subject to the EU regulatory risk assessment..
Hazard alerts
The following alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement. These hazard alerts do not take account of usage patterns or exposure, thus do not represent risk.
A plant alkaloid which has strong insecticidal and molluscicidal activity
Example pests controlled
Slugs; Snails
Example applications
Brassicas; Potatoes; Ornamentals
Efficacy & activity
-
GB regulatory status
GB COPR regulatory status
Not approved
Date COPR inclusion expires
Not applicable
GB LERAP status
No UK approval for use as a plant protection agent
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)
EC Regulation 1107/2009 status
Not approved
Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur
Not applicable
Date EC 1107/2009 inclusion expires
Not applicable
EU Candidate for substitution (CfS)
No
Listed in EU database
Yes
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 in the following EU Member States
ATAustria
BEBelgium
BGBulgaria
CYCyprus
CZCzech Republic
DEGermany
DKDenmark
EEEstonia
ELGreece
ESSpain
FIFinland
FRFrance
HRCroatia
HUHungary
IEIreland
ITItaly
LTLithuania
LULuxembourg
LVLatvia
MTMalta
NLNetherlands
PLPoland
PTPortugal
RORomania
SESweden
SISlovenia
SKSlovakia
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 by Mutual Recognition of Authorisation and/or national regulations in the following EEA countries
ISIceland
NONorway
Additional information
Also used in
-
Chemical structure
Isomerism
Caffeine itself is not stereoisomeric, but it does have structural isomers and shares its molecular formula with other xanthine alkaloids like theobromine that is found in chocolate and theophylline used in asthma medications. These differ in the position of methyl groups on the xanthine ring, giving them distinct pharmacological effects despite similar structures.
Natural toxin which when consumed paralyses and kill insects
CAS RN
58-08-2
EC number
200-362-1
CIPAC number
-
US EPA chemical code
-
PubChem CID
2519
Molecular mass
194.19
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)
1,3,7-trimethyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione
IUPAC name
1,3,7-trimethyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione
CAS name
1,3,7-trimethyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione
Forever chemical
-
Other status information
E150; FEMA 2224; FLAVIS=16.015
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards
-
Herbicide Resistance Class (HRAC MoA class)
Not applicable
Herbicide Resistance Class (WSSA MoA class)
Not applicable
Insecticide Resistance Class (IRAC MoA class)
-
Fungicide Resistance Class (FRAC MOA class)
Not applicable
Examples of recorded resistance
-
Physical state
Odourless white crystalline powder
Commercial
Property
Value
Availability status
Novel
Introduction & key dates
early-1990s, informal use recorded
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically
Progarein
Example products using this active
-
Formulation and application details
Available in a variety of formulations including suspension concentrates for direct application and granules
Commercial production
Commercial production of caffeine may be achieved via both natural extraction and synthetic synthesis, depending on the intended application and scale. Naturally, caffeine is extracted from plant sources such as coffee beans, tea leaves, guarana, and yerba mate. The process typically includes water or solvent extraction, followed by filtration, purification, and crystallisation to isolate caffeine in its pure form. On the synthetic side, caffeine can be produced through chemical synthesis using compounds like urea and cyanoacetic acid, though this method is less common due to cost and complexity. The purified caffeine is then formulated into products for use.
Impact on climate of production and use
GHG emissions from caffeine production are not available. Most studies focus on the carbon footprint of coffee as a whole, not isolated caffeine. For coffee, producing 1 kg of green Arabica coffee beans using conventional methods emits approximately 15.33 kg of CO₂e. Extraction of caffeine from coffee beans involves solvent use (e.g. methylene chloride or CO₂ in supercritical extraction) and energy-intensive steps like drying and purification. Consequently, the GHG emissions for caffeine are likely to be considerably higher than that for coffee.
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
Property
Value
Source; quality score; and other information
Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)
2170
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
at 25°C
High
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)
-
-
-
Melting point (°C)
235
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
-
Boiling point (°C)
178
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
-
Degradation point (°C)
-
-
-
Flashpoint (°C)
-
-
-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C
P
-
-
-
Log P
-
-
-
Fat solubility of residues
Solubility
-
-
-
Data type
-
-
-
Density (g ml⁻¹)
1.23
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C
-
-
-
-
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)
-
-
-
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)
-
-
-
Volatilisation as max % of applied dose lost
From plant surface
-
-
-
From soil surface
-
-
-
Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹
-
-
-
Surface tension (mN m⁻¹)
-
-
-
Degradation
Property
Value
Source; quality score; and other information
Interpretation
General biodegradability
-
Soil degradation (days) (aerobic)
DT₅₀ (typical)
-
-
-
DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)
-
-
-
DT₅₀ (field)
-
-
-
DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)
-
-
-
DT₉₀ (field)
-
-
-
DT₅₀ modelling endpoint
-
-
-
Note
-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on plant matrix
Value
-
-
-
Note
-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on and in plant matrix
Value
-
-
-
Note
-
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7
Value
-
-
-
Note
-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7
Value
-
-
-
Note
-
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)
-
-
-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)
-
-
-
Sediment phase only DT₅₀ (days)
-
-
-
Air degradation
As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below.
Decay in stored produce DT₅₀
-
Soil adsorption and mobility
Property
Value
Source; quality score; and other information
Interpretation
Linear
Kd (mL g⁻¹)
-
-
-
Koc (mL g⁻¹)
-
Notes and range
-
Freundlich
Kf (mL g⁻¹)
-
-
-
Kfoc (mL g⁻¹)
-
1/n
-
Notes and range
-
pH sensitivity
-
Fate indices
Property
Value
Source; quality score; and other information
Interpretation
GUS leaching potential index
-
-
-
SCI-GROW groundwater index (μg l⁻¹) for a 1 kg ha⁻¹ or 1 l ha⁻¹ application rate
Value
Cannot be calculated
-
-
Note
-
Potential for particle bound transport index
-
-
-
Potential for loss via drain flow
-
-
-
Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀ (hrs) as indicator of long-range air transport risk
Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242
Ecotoxicity
Warning:
Human health
