Question

I need an idea on a product for organic chem lab. no particular reactants, just an idea on something to create in lab for a project. it has to be useful. Some of my classmates are making luminol as an example

Answer 1

We can easily prepare aspirin in lab. The common name of aspirin is acetylsalicyclic acid and is used in the treatment of fever and pain.

We prepare aspirin in lab by reacting salicyclic acid with acetic anhydride in presence of phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄).

The products formed are aspirin and acetic acid.

Since acetic acid is highly sluble in water, we can easily separate aspirin by recrystallization.

The balanced chemical reaction is:

Lab equipments and reagents required:

1st phase: Salicylic acid, Acetic anhydride, distilled water, 85% phosphoric acid, buret clamp, burner, stand with iron ring, wire gauze, ice bath, flask, filter paper, Buchner funnel.

2nd phase: capillary tubes, melting point apparatus.

3rd phase: phenolphthalein indicator, 0.1 M NaOH, 125 mL Flask, buret, aspirin tablets

Procedure:

Synthesis (Session-1):

Take 2g salicyclic acid in a flask and weigh it properly.

Transfer 5.0 mL of acetic anhydride from a buret into the flask and then add 5 drops of 85% H3PO4 into the flask.

Now clamp the flask inside a beaker cntaining tap water supported by a stand with ring and placed over burner flame. Heat water till it boils. Stir the solution if required to dissolve salicyclic acid and add 2 mL distilled water.

Remve the flask after a couple of minutes of heating and add 20 mL distilled water. Now let the flask cool at room temperature to deposit crystals of aspirin.

Now filter with the help of a filter paper to separate crude aspirin.