A 1.961*g mass of "salicylic acid", C_6H_4(CO_2H)(OH) is treated with excess acetic acid. How much "ASA, i.e. aspirin", i.e. "1,2-C"_6"H"_4"CO"_2"H(O"_2"CCH"_3")" could be prepared?

1 Answer
anor277
Apr 9, 2017

Approx. 2.6*g...................

Explanation:

First, we need to propose a stoichiometric equation that represents aspirin synthesis:

"1,2-C"_6"H"_4("CO"_2"H)(OH)" + "HO"_2"CCH"_3 rarr "1,2-C"_6"H"_4"CO"_2"H(O"_2"CCH"_3) + "H"_2"O"

And thus we see the production of ASA is a 1:1 reaction between salicylic acid and acetic acid. What sort of reaction is this?

"Moles of salicylic acid"=(1.961*g)/(138.12*g*mol^-1)=0.0142*"mol".

Given this molar quantity, and the stoichiometric equation, AT MOST we can make 0.0142*"mol"xx180.16*"g"*"mol"^-1= 2.56*g of "ASA".

Industrially, aspirin synthesis is conducted on a huge scale. Why? Because it is one of the most powerful, useful, and benign drugs known, and in recent years it has been prescribed widely as a blood-thinning agent.

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