# 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?

Apr 9, 2017

Approx. $2.6 \cdot g$...................

#### Explanation:

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

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

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?

$\text{Moles of salicylic acid"=(1.961*g)/(138.12*g*mol^-1)=0.0142*"mol}$.

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

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.