News
13th November 2019

Aspirin Synthesis September 2019

Our second year students synthesised aspirin over two weeks in late September, to coincide with our teaching on carbonyl compounds this year and aromatic compounds in teaching over the Summer Term. Aspirin is a phenol-based ester that is made from salicylic acid, which can be extracted from willow bark.

Clockwise from top left: Xan and Ruby refluxing; Soren and Henry let their refluxed mixture cool down; Andreea and Rebecca check their refluxing equipment is set up correctly; filtering the pure aspirin out prior to drying.