Synthesis of Acetlysalicylic Acid

Introduction
Aspirin Synthesis
Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic acid) can be synthesized by the reaction of salicylic acid and acetic anhydride as shown below:

Many over the counter drugs used for pain and headache-relieving, fever reduction, and as a anti-inflammatory contain the molecule acetylsalicylic acid. Aspirin is also used long-term, at low doses, to help prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clot formation in people at high risk of developing blood clots.1
This common drug is synthesized using a number of laboratory techniques.   In this experiment, salicylic acid was reacted with acetic anhydride and concentrated phosphoric acid to yield acetylsalicylic acid. Vacuum filtration was used to obtain the crude product. A melting point of the crude product was also obtained. The experiment was a success yielding acetylsalicylic acid in 353.9% yield and good purity based on the thin layer chromatography.
TLC of Analgesics
Thin layer chromatography has been used for many years and is still widely in practice. TLC is used to separate mixtures so they can be individually identified and analyzed. Silica material is the most common used substance on a TLC plate because it is consistent in how it separates all chemicals. Before chemicals are added to the TLC plate, it is called the stationary phase. Once the chemicals have been applied, it is now called the mobile phase. Once the chemicals are placed on the TLC plate, they incubate in a development chamber where the chemicals are allowed to travel up the plate. Different chemicals travel different distances on the plate based on polarity. This is what allows the chemicals to be distinguished. The TLC technique can be used to monitor the progress of a reaction, identify compounds present in a given mixture, and to determine the purity of a substance.
In this experiment, two plates were used. The product from the experiment along with multiple controls of salicylic acid,... [continues]

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