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The History and chemistry behind aspirin

The History and chemistry behind aspirin. By Angela Pacheco. Properties of Aspirin. Antipyretic: reduces fever Analgesic: reduces pain Anti-inflammatory: reduces swelling. Historical pain relief. Some of the earliest pain relievers were parts of plants. For example:

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The History and chemistry behind aspirin

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  1. The History and chemistry behind aspirin By Angela Pacheco

  2. Properties of Aspirin • Antipyretic: reduces fever • Analgesic: reduces pain • Anti-inflammatory: reduces swelling

  3. Historical pain relief • Some of the earliest pain relievers were parts of plants. • For example: • The ancient Greeks used bark from willow and poplar trees. Records show Hippocrates prescribing it around 400 BC. • Native Americans made teas from the bark of the willow. • In the mid-1700s, these teas were introduced to Europe by Reverend Edward Stone, who dried willow bark and ground it into a powder. • In the 1800s, the active ingredient, salicylic acid, was identified. It began to be produced in large quantities and not just for pain relief. It was also used as a food preservative.

  4. Problems with salicylic acid • However, salicylic acid was hard on the body. Being highly acidic, it caused irritation to the mouth and digestive system. • Various scientists began to experiment, trying to come up with a suitable alternative.

  5. Felix Hoffman, jr. • A 25 year old chemist working in Bayer Laboratories in Germany in 1893, Felix Hoffman Jr had a personal interest in finding a replacement for salicylic acid. His father relied on the medicine to treat his arthritis, but suffered from the stomach discomfort it caused. • Working after hours, Hoffman Jr synthesized acetylsalicylic acid. The Bayer company would patent the drug and call it Aspirin (a- for the acetyl group and the “sprin” for the group of plants that produce salicylic acid. • In some countries, such as Canada, the name “aspirin” can only be used for the product sold by Bayer.

  6. Aspirin = acetylsalicylic acid • Aspirin is formed by reacting salicylic acid with acetic anhydride. • C7H6O3 + C4H6O3 C9H8O4 + HC2H3O2 • Salicylic acid and acetic anhydride react to form acetylsalicylic acid and acetic acid.

  7. Problems with aspirin • Though not as badly as its salicylic acid predecessor, aspiring still causes blood loss from the stomach. • It interferes with the clotting of blood, which can be a good thing for some heart problems. This is one of the reasons why heart patients may take a “baby” aspirin every day. • Because of the clotting problem, aspirin should not be taken prior to or immediately after surgery. • Aspirin has been linked to “Reyes Syndrome” in children and young teens suffering from viral infections. • Aspirin is toxic in large doses.

  8. Our Aspirin Synthesis • The reaction doesn’t occur quickly, so we will use sulfuric acid as a catalyst. • This is the same reaction that aspirin companies use to make aspirin! • Once we have created our aspirin, we will purify it with ice cold water. Aspirin is not soluble in cold water, but the impurities are. • We will test our product with iron (III) chloride. Iron (III) chloride reacts with a phenol group (found in salicylic acid, but not in aspirin) to produce a colorful result. If your aspirin results look like that of the salicylic acid, then your aspirin is impure. • We will also test for starch. Starch is added to aspirin power to help it form a tablet. In this way, aspirin serves as a “binder.” Iodine reacts with starch to form a blue or black color.

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