Chemistry and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Chemistry and Society - Essay Example In the ancient time, spiraea and willow bark plant extract of which the active ingredient was salicylic acid had been used to ease pain, headaches and fevers. In the year 1763, Edward Stone isolated the active element of aspirin when he discovered salicylic acid. Charles Frederic Gerhardt who was a French chemist prepared the first acetylsalicylic acid in the year 1853. During Charles Frederic Gerhardt's work, on the property and synthesis of different acid anhydrides, Charles Frederic mixed acetyl chloride with a sodium salt (Edubillacom, 2015). After a vigorous reaction, the resulting melt was then solidified, and the compound obtained was named salicylic-acetic anhydride.In the year 1859, von Gilm obtained acetylsalicylic acid through the reaction of acetyl chloride and salicylic acid (Watson, 2011). In the year 1897, Bayer AG chemists produced a version of synthetically altered salicin. The product was derived from Filipendula ulmaria species which had a less digestive upset as c ompared to the pure salicylic acid. Bayer AG named the new drug Aspirin (May & Cotton, 2014). By the year 1899, the drug was sold around the world (SchröR, 2009). The drug became popularly known due to its effectiveness in the first half of the 20th century. Synthetic fabrics are from synthetic polymers which are created using polymerization of different chemical inputs. Polymerization refers to the process of combining various smaller molecules to form larger molecules.