I.

INTRODUCTION

One of the subdisciplines of organic chemistry is organic synthesis and analysis. It is

the science of producing and constructing natural and/ synthetic substances whose
primary element is carbon (Nicolau, 2013). It is first discovered by Friedrich Wohler,
a German chemist who synthesized urea; this led a remarkable development in
human history. Further researches and studies under organic synthesis are making
drastic changes in different fields such as medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.
Each step of a certain organic synthesis involves a chemical reaction, reagents, and
specific conditions designed to give an adequate yield of pure sample of desired
product efficiently. Thus, standard designs and methods vary in synthesizing
different organic compounds. These procedures undergone optimization to ensure
the production of desired compounds in convenient and reliable procedure.
Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is a common organic compound
synthesized in laboratories. It is used as a pain killer, fever reducer, and anti-
inflammatory drug. According to Aspirin Foundation, it is still the most widely used
drug in the world with production of approximately 35,000 metric tons / year.The
compound is first produced in a laboratory by a French chemist, Charles F. Gerhardt.
However, in 1987, Felix Hoffmann, a German chemist working at the Bayer Co.,
discovered an easier method of synthesizing the
drug (Mann, 1891).

Acetylsalicylic Acid is derived from Salicylic acid, which then reacts with Acetyl
Anhydride. Transformation of the hydroxyl functional group will be achieved by
utilizing an esterification reaction, which is the reaction of a carboxylic acid with an
alcohol to form a carboxylate ester. Acetic anhydride is the carboxylic acid while
salicylic acid is the alcohol. The reaction is acid catalyzed using phosphoric acid as
the catalyst.
 www.aspirin-foundation.com
View Original
April 23rd, 2017

Mann, Charles C. The Aspirin Wars: Money, Medicine & One

Hundred Years of Rampant Competition. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
1991
Nicolaou KC. 2013 The emergence of the structure of the molecule and the art of its synthesis.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 52, 131146. (doi:10.1002/anie.201207081)