Purpose:
Determine the percentage of 2-ethanoylhydroxybenzoic acid in aspirin tablets.
Introduction (including background information) :
Before creating Aspirin, “sail alba” was used. In 1860’s, chemists discovered that Salicylic acid (2-hydroxybenzoic acid, C7H6O3 ) is the active acid in sail alba. Salicylic acid is relatively strong though. It can irritate and damage the stomach membranes and mouth.
In 1889, ethanoate ester of salicylic acid was introduced by the Bayer Company. They named it Aspirin. Aspirin is an analgesic and antipyretic drug. Analgesic drugs relieve certain types of pain, such as headaches. Antipyretic drugs lower body temperature rapidly if it is high. Aspirin doesn’t damage the stomach and mouth. Aspirin may damage the body if high dosages of it are consumed. …show more content…
Aspirin passes unchanged through the acidic conditions in the stomach, but is hydrolyzed to ethanoate ion and 2-hydroxybenzoate ions by the alkaline juices in the intestines.
Aspirin is a monoprotic acid (Monoprotic acids are acids that can donate one proton per molecule during the process of ionization). Therefore, aspirin can react with NaOH (sodium