Aspirin Lab

aspirin
Intro-
Aspirin is known as a pain reliever for muscle ache, head ache and can prevent heart attacks as well as blood clots, and many more things that it can help with. Aspirin is known as Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is a Salicylate. Salicylates are organic acids from plants that people for hundreds of years have been used for pain reducing. Salicylic acid irritates the stomach when consumed so German scientist Felix Hoffman suggested ASA as an alternative. Aspirin is made when Acetic Anhydride reacting with Salicylic acid to produce Acetylsalicylic acid and Acetic acid (diluted vinegar). Aspirin is in millions of home today and in America, about 50 million tablets are consumed every day. When aspirin ages it breaks down and returns to the main chemicals that made the reaction.
(Sources used- aspirin worksheet and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin)

Synthesis (procedure)- for the procedure I prepared a boiling bath using a hot plate, and filled a 400ml beaker with tap water. Then I got a 125ml Erlenmeyer flask and put in 2.00 grams of Salicylic acid using a scale. For the third step I added 5ml of Acetic Anhydride using a graduated cylinder. Then I added 5 drops of concentrated Sulfuric acid to the Acetic Anhydride and Salicylic acid in the Erlenmeyer flask using a dropper. I then heated the flask in the boiling bath for exactly 10 minutes. I then removed the flask and allowed it to cool on the counter for 4.5 minutes while adding 2 ml of cold distilled water dropwise. I then stirred to mix the contents. I Then added 40ml of distilled water in the solution and stirred until crystals began to form. My crystals formed in a matter of seconds. I then put the flask in a 400ml beaker of ice water to cool it down from room temperature for exactly 10 minutes to complete the crystallization process. I then collected the product in a filtration process by using filter paper and washing out the flask with distilled water into the filter paper. I then dried the crystals on the filter paper over night and the crystals on the paper is now aspirin. (Sources used- procedure worksheet for the lab)

Aspirin and salicylic acid safety information.-
For a safe dose of aspirin, a Quality Choice aspirin bottle suggest 325-650mg of aspirin for intake. The FDA allows 3% concentration of Salicylic acid in an 325mg aspirin tablet for safe intake for human beings. The safe dose of salicylic acid would be 9.75 mg and the ld50 for this is 891mg/kg [rat]. The ld50 for ASA is 200mg/kg [rat]. The uses of aspirin provides temporary relief of headache, pain and fever of colds, muscle pain, menstrual pain, toothache, and minor pain of arthritis. You should not take aspirin if you are recovering from chicken pox or flu-like symptoms as it could cause reye’s syndrome. (Sources used- http://www.sciencelab.com/page/S/PVAR/SLA1738 http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9922977 http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=547252 msds sheets, Quality Choice aspirin bottle.)

test results-

white powder test- during the white powder test I found that it would suggest that my substance is very comparable to acetylsalicylic acid and salicylic acid which lets me narrow it down to these to chemicals for further testing. It has a PH level of 3-4. ASA and SA are in the same levels. The color of the powders are identical in color but no the exact consistency due to the crushed up tablet to a powder. The sample was soluble in ethanol but not in Hcl and melts over the flame just like the ASA and SA. I was able to do the test with well plates, tooth picks, red litmus paper ethanol and hydrochloric acid.