Is it true that they use D.C.M. to extract caffiene from coffee to make decaf?

Question

I know that DCM is a carcinigenic. And why would they use something so toxic to extract this? I use DCM to extract things for the environment like petroleum.

Answer 1

No. It is not true.

Carbon dioxide in a super critical fluid state is used as it has the unique ability of dissolving the caffeine out but leaving the chemicals responsible for the flavor and aroma in the beans.

A super critical fluid state for CO2 is when you increase the temperature and pressure of the liquid CO2 (which is done at around 60 times our normal atmospheric pressure) until its vapor pressure is the same as the vapor pressure of the vapor state of CO2. When the two vapor pressures are equal, you have a fourth state of matter, a super critical fluid, which is neither a liquid nor a vapor.

DCM was used something like 40 years ago until it was realized that it was carcinogenic. When that problem was discovered its use was discontinued.

By the way, there six states of matter: solid, liquid, vapor, super critical fluid, plasma, and Bose-Einstein Condensates.

Answer 2

Some do. See the link. It isn't hard to remove it completely; it's boiling point is 40 degrees C.