What kind of chemical processes are used to create aspirin

Question

What kind of chemical processes are used to create aspirin

Answer 1

1. Acetylation:

Salicylic acid reacts with acetic anhydride (or acetyl chloride) in the presence of a catalyst, such as sulfuric acid (H2SO4) or phosphoric acid (H3PO4). This process is known as acetylation. The reaction can be represented as follows:

Salicylic acid + Acetic anhydride ⟶ Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) + Acetic acid

The chemical equation for the reaction is:

C7H6O3 + (CH3CO)2O ⟶ C9H8O4 + CH3COOH

2. Ester Formation:

In the acetylation step, the hydroxyl group (-OH) of salicylic acid reacts with the acetyl group (-COCH3) from acetic anhydride, resulting in the formation of an ester bond (-COO-). This can be represented as:

Salicylic acid + Acetic anhydride ⟶ Acetylsalicylic acid + Acetic acid

The structural formula of the reaction is:

HO-C6H4-COOH + (CH3CO)2O ⟶ O=C-C6H4-COOCH3 + CH3COOH