Aspirin: Pain Relief

Ever wonder about the chemical makeup of tablets that people take for pain relief? Before a tablet can be successfully made, the limiting and excess reactants must be considered. The limiting reactant will affect the amount of the product that can be made. Another reason why the starting reactants must be determined carefully is to make reduce the amount of the reactant in excess so that reactants are not wasted. This experiment uses an Alka-Seltzer tablet. Alka-Seltzer dissolves in water and is an antacid and a pain reliever1. The Alka-Seltzer tablet has many uses such as relief of headaches, ingestion, heart burns, or even upset stomachs2. The active ingredients in an Alka-Seltzer tablet is aspirin, also known as acetyl-salicylic acid (C8H12O4), citric acid (C6H8O7), and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)2. The aspirin in the Alka-Seltzer tablet helps with pain relief. Because of the acid-base chemistry (Brønsted-Lowry), citric acid and sodium bicarbonate produce O2, which makes the tablet fizz when it is dropped in liquid. The Brønsted-Lowry theory shows how the Brønsted-Lowry acid donates a hydrogen ion while the Brønsted-Lowry base accepts the hydrogen ions3. The remaining NaHCO3 that is in excess post reaction with the citric acid is what is used to neutralize stomach acid which helps relief heart burn2. The problem in

In experiment two, the drug Panacetin was separated by a series of chemical reactions into its three components: sucrose, aspirin, and an unknown active ingredient, either acetanilide or phenacetin. The purpose of this lab was to determine what percentages of each component is present in the pain-killer. The initial step was to dissolve Panacetin in dichloromethane. However, sucrose is insoluble in dichloromethane because organic molecules are soluble in organic solvents, and dichloromethane is an inorganic solvent, so only aspirin and the unknown dissolved. By using gravity filtration, sucrose was filtered from the solution and 0.30g of solid was collected.

From the vial labeled “AE,” aspirin (0.533 g) was placed into a 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask with a boiling stick. Toluene (20 mL) was brought to a boil on a hot plate. The boiling toluene (10 mL) was then added to the aspirin until the solid dissolved completely. After allowing the solution to reach room temperature, the solution was placed in an ice bath for 16 minutes. After the crystals

Both Aspirin and the Unknown are soluble in dichloromethane, due to their non-polar characteristics. To separate the two components, sodium bicarbonate was added (see figure 3). Sodium bicarbonate reacted with aspirin and converted it to a salt, also forming water and carbon dioxide. It was observed that the solution "fizzed" when this reaction took place, showing the release of carbon dioxide. The newly formed salt then traveled to an aqueous layer where it was soluble, while the unknown remained in the dichloromethane layer. The two layers were then separated. To collect an aspirin solid, the combination of the addition of HCl and the process of vacuum filtration helped to break down the salt and form a solid. Then the solid was placed in the Fisher Scientific Biotemp Oven to dry it to a constant mass of 0.091 g, 32.97% of the total composition. The

Aspirin is one of the most consumed painkillers created up to this date due to its reliability and low expense. It is often used to relieve minor aches and pains, reduce fever and as an anti-inflammatory medication. Due to its wide range of uses, the demand for this pharmaceutical is very high. As a result, manufacturers who produce this drug must be efficient in order to reduce the time taken to produce this drug and produce the in very high quantities.

The purpose of this lab was to synthesize aspirin, determine the theoretical yield, compare the percent yield to the theoretical yield and test the purity of aspirin by adding Iron (III) chloride to the product.

While reading this article by the Rice University, readers were able to discover the affects that their easy aspirin drug may be doing more harm than it is good. Recent studies have shown that the aspirin we may take daily may be a cause of hearing loss. Researchers were able to look at over half a dozen anti-inflammatory drugs that could be responsible for the compensation of our hearing mechanism called the Prestin. Many researchers like author Guillaume Duret, a research scientist in Rice's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering that was trying to figure out if any other pain relief drugs could cause similar hearing disabilities. Duret found that difluinsal was the only drug that was able to block

Chronic pain is a tremendous public health problem, and a costly one. As health care advances and the need for palliative care rises, patients and health care providers are constantly investigating alternative methods of pain treatment and management. Questioning and challenging traditional health policies and practices has created a curiosity in the use of cannabis as an alternative option to standard opioids, for the management of chronic pain. Cannabis, is a leafy green plant consisting of buds and leaves of the cannabis sativa forma indica plants. Marijuana has been used in holistic solutions for hundreds of years; it has also been especially prevalent among terminally ill patients, who have been reported using it to alleviate symptoms like chronic pain, nausea and depression.

This experiment involved three steps: synthesis of aspirin, isolation and purification, and the estimation of purity of the final product. The synthesis involved the reaction of salicylic acid and acetic anhydride in the presence of a catalyst, phosphoric acid, H3PO4. When the aspirin was prepared, it was isolated and filtered. The percentage yield of the synthesis was calculated to be 78.42%. The experimental melting point range of aspirin was determined to be 122 -132°C. Due to its wide range, and lower value than that of the theoretical melting point of 136°C, it was

The goal of this experiment was to synthesize aspirin. In this experiment aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, was synthesized from salicylic acid and acetic anhydride. In the reaction the hydroxyl group on the benzene ring in salicylic acid reacted with acetic anhydride to form an ester functional group. This method of forming acetylsalicylic acid is an esterification reaction. Since this esterification reaction is not spontaneous, sulfuric acid was used as a catalyst to initiate the reaction. After the reaction was complete some unreacted acetic anhydride and salicylic acid was still be present in the solution as well as some sulfuric acid, aspirin, and acetic acid. Crystallization, which uses the principle of

There is a growing concern for the use of opiates in pain management and other medical treatments. Due to illegal use and abuse of the opiates, there has been an increase in overdose and dependency throughout the nation and even the world. The use of opiate substances can include pain management and even cough suppression in severe cases; however, the side affects make the drugs appealing to those with substance abuse problems. President Donald Trump has declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency, which has led to the discussions of how to control the abuse of these substances (Merica). Despite the growing concern about opioid use, there are some benefits in the use of opioid substances in pain management. Many argue,

How would you like to meet the most expensive drug dealer in the world? There are thousands of them. They live in your town, they work with you, and can live right next door, your own primary doctor. Some people are not aware how wide spread drug addiction is. Most drugs come from our primary doctor. Prescription pain medication are the number one cause of addiction. There are three ways to help with the prevention of pain medication addiction, through education, monitoring, and enforcement.

Chronic pain is a tremendous public health problem, and a costly one. As health care advances and the need for palliative care rises, patients and health care providers are constantly investigating alternative methods of pain treatment and management. Questioning and challenging traditional health policies and practices has created an interest in the use of cannabis as an alternative option to standard opioids, for the management of chronic pain. Cannabis, or marijuana, is a leafy green plant consisting of buds and leaves of the cannabis sativa forma indica plants. Marijuana has been used in holistic solutions for hundreds of years; it has also been especially prevalent among terminally ill cancer patients, who have been reported using it to alleviate symptoms like chronic pain, nausea and depression.

I visit my grandmother every month at her house. We relive all of the happy moments we shared when I was growing up. On my latest visit, she did not want to talk about the good times we shared, and seemed almost annoyed I was there at all. After searching around her house, I noticed an empty bottle of prescription painkillers. I remembered her telling me the last time I talked to her that she was starting to take a new prescription pain medication, but that was only two weeks ago. My grandmother would never abuse drugs, so why was the bottle empty already? I asked her about the medication and she told me that she was taking up to eight pills a day. She had misinterpreted the instructions and was

This report presents the synthesis of Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), as the product of the reaction of salicylic acid with ethanoic anhydride under acidic conditions. Aspirin was purified through recrystallisation by vacuum filtration, followed by desiccation of the Aspirin crystal over silica gel. The percentage yield was calculated as 44.89% and a sample of Aspirin was analysed using infra-red spectroscopy and compared to the spectrum of pure Aspirin, this served as an introduction to the identification of functional groups in organic compounds. The melting point was calculated using an IA9000M apparatus and recorded to be 35.2°C, which was slightly below the melting point of pure Aspirin; known to be between 138-140°C. Both IR spectroscopy and melting point measurement were used verify the purity of synthetic Aspirin made, which proved to be fairly pure under these laboratory conditions.