Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) extraction from aspirin tablets

Here is a brief video guide to extracting acetylsalicylic acid from aspirin tablets, which can be used for several other experiments.

Note: the video editing might be a little rough. It took me 48 crashes of Adobe Premiere to finish this video. I'll fix that for the next video...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Chemistry
• aspirin
• acetylsalicylic acid
• ASA

[adjuvants12780]

can you use cheap 70% isopropanol?

can you use methanol?

[aonomus]

@adjuvants12780 The water in 70% IPA would reduce the solubility of the ASA, and increase the amount of water needed to precipitate a reasonable amount of the ASA as well making workup harder. As for methanol, you could use it, but you would encounter issues with evaporation of solvent (lower BP, higher vapor pressure) and the high flammability. With IPA you can work reasonably safely, but with methanol you have a real vapor hazard to contend with.

[aonomus]

@adjuvants12780 The extra water in 70% IPA would reduce the solubility of ASA and increase the amount of water required to precipitate most of the ASA.

As for methanol, you have a lower BP and higher vapor pressure to deal with. You have to prevent loss of solvent (round bottom flask + condenser) and deal with the fire hazard (methanol is significantly more flammable, vapors even more so; and the flames in a well lit lab aren't visible).

[starshock01]

i did this same exact extraction with 325 mg acetyl. aspirin pills and the acid began crystalizing on the rim of the filter paper i was using, perhaps i was not using enough alcohol?

[aonomus]

@starshock01 you don't want to use too much alcohol otherwise you will dissolve other impurities such as triacetin. The ratio mentioned is the best ratio that has worked for me.

As to how to solve the problem, have you heated the isopropyl alcohol enough? Maybe your filter paper is too fine and clogs up quickly, you might want to do a coarse filtration with a coffee filter followed by a finer one to clean up the solution of ASA.

[viclorwow]

when i added the cold water my ASA precipitated out in crystals. Is there any way to check if what i got is ASA?

[aonomus]

@viclorwow An absolute way to test would be using FTIR spectroscopy or NMR spec. which may tell you what else is in the precipitate. If you want to test *only* for the ASA/SA in the precipitate, you could add sodium carbonate (CO2 = positive for ASA or SA), test melting point, etc.

The easiest way though would be to add some metal cation that would selectively precipitate the ASA such as Cu+2, Ni+2 (see my other video on how to make copper aspirinate).

[subrookie]

Just because some nutjob used this video doesn't mean it should be deleted. It's a fairly useful chemistry experiment.

[puosuuu]

this video is referred in the diaries of the man who committed the recent bombing and massacre in norway oslo.

[GCMsPiCeS]

how many valence electrons does aspirin have?

[rokag333]

@Khamug If someone want to make explosive there is plenty method!

so you must forbid chemisty but then you are going to have some troubles!

with a knive you can cut oignons or kill someone

with chemistry you can cure and build or kill and destroy

The problem is not the knowledge is the aim !

So try to build a society more sane but do not ban knowledge which in any case will prevent a mad person to commit catastrophe , not speaking about the people who by lack of knowledge will make some

[spotlightman1234]

Don't delete this video.

[starshock01]

@ventura002 only if the aspirin has starch as a filler, mostly just talcum powder in the ones i find

[Digimer]

@Khamug @Khamug That murdered knew how to use the Internet, shoot a gun and drive a car as well. Would you hold his teachers and instructors as partially guilty for his actions, too? Of course not.

This video covers science and chemistry. There is nothing about this video that is "wrong" and certainly doesn't deserve to be deleted. This idea that there should be "forbidden knowledge" is disturbing. The man was sick and twisted. He was the problem, not the knowledge he carried.

[Khamug]

God forgive you. You don't know what you did. 70 dead people's families might explain it to you.

[loverofrunescape32]

@puosuuu grats go tell osama & stop control-F searching all youtube links & posting the same

[Lisou57230]

anders behring breivik watched this video to make bomb, and the adress is in his diarie ! you should delete it !

[ThaRealKalimpa]

@puosuuu right