Synthesis of Aspirin

An Erlenmeyer flask was used to accommodate the largest volume of recrystallization solvent calculated and was cooled in an ice bath to increase the yield of crystals. The solid was collected by vacuum filtration and washed with a small amount of ice water. The product is then dried to a constant mass by use of an oven and weighed. A small amount of the unknown was compared to two samples of acetanilide and phenacetin for a melting point range to determine the identity. The temperature of the unknown was recorded when the first trace of liquid can be seen and when the unknown was completely liquid.

Aspirin Recrysalization Data Table Actual Mass (g) 0.41 Actual MP (ºC) 123-125 Expected Mass (g) 0.533 Expected MP (ºC) 135 Percent Recovery 77% Percent Error 8%

In some cases, reactions will not respond to heat and chemical change. Undesired side products may be produced as well in experiments such as this. Mechanical errors play as role as well when products are loss due to improper weighing, transferring, and drying methods. These reasons will also affect the melting range of the product as well. The end result for this experiment will be the production of acetaminophen, a fever reducing and pain-relieving compound, which is use in creating

Next, aspirin was extracted from the filtrate. When the filtrate was first mixed with the sodium hydroxide and inverted a couple times, an organic layer formed underneath an aqueous layer in the separatory funnel. Dichloromethane was present in the organic layer because it has a higher density than sodium hydroxide, therefore, it’s in the bottom layer. Aspirin reacts with bases like sodium hydroxide, and it forms the salt sodium acetylsalicylate. The polar salt molecules migrate from the organic layer, where they are insoluble, to the aqueous layer, where they are soluble. After the two layers were separated into two different containers, the aqueous layer, which contained sodium acetylsalicylate, was mixed with hydrochloric acid. A white, cloudy precipitate formed, which was a purer form of the salt. The HCl

The recrystallization technique utilizes the ability of a compound to dissolve within a hot solvent and produce a solution. As this solution cools, the solute reforms without impurities in a crystal lattice structure.1 For this to work properly, an appropriate solution that will not dissolve the solute at low temperatures, but will at high temperatures, must be used.1 There is no single solvent that will work well for every solute’s recrystallization; different solvents are better suited for some solutes than others.2 Some impurities that do not dissolve within the solvent can be filtered out while the solution is still hot, while other impurities that readily dissolve within the solvent shouldn’t recrystallize with the pure substance (as they are not concentrated enough to

The product was placed in a Craig tube and several drops of hot (100°C) solvent (50% water, 50% methanol, by volume) was added and heated until all of the crystals dissolved. The Craig tube was plugged and set in an Erlenmeyer flask to cool. Crystallization was induced once the mixture was at room temperature by scratching the inner wall of the tube. It was then placed into an ice bath for ten minutes until crystallization was complete. The tube was then

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

The product was then suspended in 2 ml of water with a stir rod in a 50 ml Erlenmeyer flask and heated to boiling. Water was added in one milliliter increments until all the product was dissolved (18 ml added total). The saturated solution was allowed to slowly cool, and gradual white crystal formation was observed. Recrystallized product was collected once more by suction filtration with the Hirsch funnel once crystallization ceased. Collected product dried on a watch glass for a week, weighed 0.14 g (1.2 mmol), and the melting point was 139°-141°

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

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

Industrial production of Aspirin is dependent on the company producing the drug; however the general method of production is known as slugging or dry-granulation. In this method, corn starch is mixed with pure water and is then heated and

The filter paper, holding the aspirin crystals, was removed from the funnel and was left to dry before being weighed. Once the aspirin crystals were weighed, the theoretical yield and the percent yield of the experiment were calculated. The procedure was repeated once more using the same steps.

Chemical synthesis is an imperative technique most relevant to organic chemists. Synthesis employs a succession of chemical reactions by using pre-existing structures to make new and functional ones. A combination of lab techniques could be developed in order to synthesize and attain the desired product. This particular experiment calls for the use for reflux, extraction, recrystallization, infrared spectroscopy, and melting point analysis. The overall objective of this lab is to utilize these steps to synthesize acetaminophen from p-aminophenol and characterize it .

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.