Aspirin is a compound widely used as a painkiller and to relieve the symptoms of fever - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 6 - 2008 - Paper 1
Question 6
Aspirin is a compound widely used as a painkiller and to relieve the symptoms of fever. It can be produced by means of a reaction in which salicylic acid is one of t... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Aspirin is a compound widely used as a painkiller and to relieve the symptoms of fever - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 6 - 2008 - Paper 1
Step 1
A. Aspirin may be prepared by reaction between salicylic acid and CH₃OH.
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Answer
This statement is correct. Aspirin can indeed be synthesized through an esterification reaction between salicylic acid and methanol (CH₃OH).
Step 2
B. Aspirin contains both an ester and a carboxylic acid functional group.
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This statement is also correct. Aspirin contains an ester functional group due to the acetylation of the hydroxyl group of salicylic acid, and it retains a carboxylic acid group.
Step 3
C. Aspirin can undergo an acid-base reaction with NaHCO₃.
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Answer
This statement is correct. Aspirin, being a weak acid, can react with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) in an acid-base reaction, resulting in the formation of salts and carbon dioxide.
Step 4
D. Aspirin may be prepared by reaction between salicylic acid and CH₃COOH.
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Answer
This statement is not correct. Although aspirin is formed from the reaction of salicylic acid and acetic anhydride, using CH₃COOH (acetic acid) does not lead to the formation of aspirin in a straightforward manner without a catalyst.
