Asprin Synthesis
Name
Period
Date
The Synthesis of Aspirin
Background
Pharmaceutical research labs perform chemical reactions between organic molecules that contain mostly carbon. Since the atoms in organic molecules tend to be nonmetals, then the bonds that hold them together are covalent bonds. Only a few elements on the periodic table are nonmetals: C, N, O, S, Cl, and F. This small number of elements can be bonded together in different quantities, bonding types (single, double, triple bonds), and structural patterns to form over 10 million known molecules! The billions of dollars generated by the pharmaceutical industry is a prime example of how important organic chemistry is to our healthcare industry. In this lab, you will perform an organic synthesis to make aspirin. Aspirin is the trade name for the molecule acetylsalcylic acid. The earliest known use of this molecule has been traced back to fifth century B.C. The Greek physician Hippocrates described an extract of willow tree bark, a bitter powder that could be used to reduce fevers. In 1829, salicin was isolated from willow bark and used as a pain reliever. Unfortunately, salicin was not very popular, since it was found to be very acidic and a stomach irritant. In 1897, a German chemist named Felix Hoffman was working for the Bayer chemical company. Hoffman was looking for a less acidic pain reliever that his father could take for his arthritis. His research led to the synthesis of acetylsalicylic acid or aspirin. Bayer patented the name and marketed the product in 1899. It was a huge success and sales grew rapidly. In fact, the company set up by Friedrich Bayer & Company is generally reckoned to have been the first pharmaceutical company, and the production of aspirin is generally accepted to have laid the foundation of the modern pharmaceutical industry. Interestingly enough it wasn’t until the 1970’s that scientists began to understand how aspirin actually worked as a pain reliever. Today 80 billion aspirin
Period
Date
The Synthesis of Aspirin
Background
Pharmaceutical research labs perform chemical reactions between organic molecules that contain mostly carbon. Since the atoms in organic molecules tend to be nonmetals, then the bonds that hold them together are covalent bonds. Only a few elements on the periodic table are nonmetals: C, N, O, S, Cl, and F. This small number of elements can be bonded together in different quantities, bonding types (single, double, triple bonds), and structural patterns to form over 10 million known molecules! The billions of dollars generated by the pharmaceutical industry is a prime example of how important organic chemistry is to our healthcare industry. In this lab, you will perform an organic synthesis to make aspirin. Aspirin is the trade name for the molecule acetylsalcylic acid. The earliest known use of this molecule has been traced back to fifth century B.C. The Greek physician Hippocrates described an extract of willow tree bark, a bitter powder that could be used to reduce fevers. In 1829, salicin was isolated from willow bark and used as a pain reliever. Unfortunately, salicin was not very popular, since it was found to be very acidic and a stomach irritant. In 1897, a German chemist named Felix Hoffman was working for the Bayer chemical company. Hoffman was looking for a less acidic pain reliever that his father could take for his arthritis. His research led to the synthesis of acetylsalicylic acid or aspirin. Bayer patented the name and marketed the product in 1899. It was a huge success and sales grew rapidly. In fact, the company set up by Friedrich Bayer & Company is generally reckoned to have been the first pharmaceutical company, and the production of aspirin is generally accepted to have laid the foundation of the modern pharmaceutical industry. Interestingly enough it wasn’t until the 1970’s that scientists began to understand how aspirin actually worked as a pain reliever. Today 80 billion aspirin