Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), or more commonly known as aspirin, is a medication that can be used for pain, fevers, and inflammation. It can be used for long periods of time, in small amounts, to prevent heart attacks, strokes and the formation of blood clots. A heart attack victim can be given a low dose right after the ordeal to reduce the risk of another one. Side effects of this drug is ulcers, internal bleeding (stomach) and ringing in the ears. These mainly happen with higher doses of aspirin.
Nature's Aspirin
Salicin
Willow bark has been used for 100’s of years all over the world to treat the same symptoms that we use aspirin to treat. The bark from willow trees, along with a few other trees, produces an anti-inflammatory agent called salicin. Salicin is an aromatic alcohol, this is indicated by the OH group of the benzene ring (benzene is aromatic hydrocarbon, which is an unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbon). Benzene and the OH groups are substituents as shown in the diagram. By the …show more content…
Reactants of ASA
Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid(C7H6O3) is the other reactant that makes up ASA. It is an organic compound that is apart of the carboxyl group. This group contains acids called carboxylic acids which are general weak. Carboxylic acids are aldehydes that have been oxidized, aldehydes are oxidized alcohols. The double bonded O attached to the OH (or COOH) as a substituent in an organic molecule indicates a carboxylic acid. And as stated earlier, salicylic acid is derived from metabolized salicin.
Acetic Anhydride
Acetic anhydride is the other reactant in the formation of ASA. It is an organic acid anhydride and like most acid anhydrides, acetic anhydride is non-polar. Organic acid anhydrides is a organic compound that has 2 acyl groups bonded to the same oxygen atom. It is produced by the carbonylation of methyl acetate. When reacting acetic anhydride with aromatic rings an acid catalyst is usually used to speed up the