Interdependence. Interdependence is a key idea in science. As students learn about science, they begin to understand that the earth is not a group of discrete parts but a continuous environment existing over time as well as place.
In order to remove the caffeine from coffee beans, the beans are washed in a solvent (a liquid capable of dissolving substances), transferring the caffeine from bean to liquid in a process known as extraction. To extract caffeine from whole coffee beans, the following solvents can be used:
The most popular method of decaffeinating coffee is a synthetic chemical process where the beans are steamed for 30 minutes to draw the caffeine to the surface of the green coffee bean. Once this has occurred, the beans are washed with a chemical solvent of either Methyl Chloride or Ethyl Acetate. MMmm delicious!