UNIVERSITY OF GUAYAQUIL

FACULTY OF CHEMICAL SCIENCES

RACE OF CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACY

ENGLISH II
SUBJECT: SULFURIC ACID, USES, CHEMICAL
COMPOSITION, PRACTICAL PART.

TEACHER:
LCDA. GABRIELA LAVID CARRILLO

MEMBERS:
BAQUE ALAY JONATHAN CRISTHIAN
VICTOR PERÉZ ESCOBAR
ASHLY ZUÑIGA TAPIA
PABLO EDISON PEÑA ARIAS

COURSE:
GROUP # 4

LECTURING PERIOD:
2018-2019 CII

GUAYAQUIL - ECUADOR
Content

Introduction: ..................................................................................................................... 2

Theoretical framework: .................................................................................................... 2

Uses of sulfuric acid ......................................................................................................... 3

Physical properties ............................................................................................................ 3

Chemical properties .......................................................................................................... 3

THROUGH THIS PRACTICE H2SO4 WAS USED ...................................................... 4

Topic: Aspirin synthesis ............................................................................................... 4

Previous considerations: ............................................................................................... 4

Final Considerations: .................................................................................................... 4

Reagents to be used: ..................................................................................................... 4

Utensils and equipment:................................................................................................ 4

Theoretical framework: (Regarding practice) ............................................................... 5

OPERATING TECHNIQUE (alarcon, 2015) .................................................................. 7

EXPERIMENT 1: synthesis of aspirin ......................................................................... 7

EXPERIMENT 2: purification of aspirin ..................................................................... 7

Result of the practice: ................................................................................................... 8

Conclusion: ................................................................................................................... 9

General conclusions ...................................................................................................... 9

BIBLIOGRAFÍA .............................................................................................................. 9

1
SULFURIC ACID (H2SO4)

Introduction:
This comes from a sulfur compound shortly before the sixteenth century due to its natural
production occurring from volcanic eruptions.
In Chile this substance is widely used in mining, it is the essential material in the
extraction of copper ores.
Sulfuric acid is one of the most important for its large amount of use since it is a colorless
and odorless oily liquid, which has a great affinity for water. When mixed with it, it
releases a large amount of heat.
It has a characteristic of being corrosive, it dehydrates and it carbonizes the organic matter
in spite of being corrosive it is not flammable, in the laboratory it is used as strong acid,
oxidizing agent, dehydrating and in organic synthesis.

Theoretical framework:
The discovery of sulfuric acid is related to the
alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan, when he wanted to obtain
a mixture of copper sulphate and iron sulphate by
heating and collecting vapors. From this experiment
originated an oily liquid capable of dissolving a large
quantity of substances called vitriol.
Later, in Europe the formulas used by Geber were
translated from the Arabic language. It is the
seventeenth century that the German scientist Johann
Glauber, obtains sulfuric acid from the burning of sulfur with potassium nitrate. This
method was used to create the compound on a large scale, with improvements to obtain
greater concentration and purity. (acido.info, 2017)
Thus originating the sulfuric acid being a strong and viscous liquid. It is one of the 20
most important compounds in the chemical industry, this is a product that can cause
severe burns in contact with the skin and especially in the eyes can cause blindness. It
stands out as a powerful oxidizing agent, in the food industry, sulfuric acid is used as a

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technical adjuvant for the production of starch and casein, and for the treatment of
drinking water.

Uses of sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid is considered an indicator of the economy of a country, since it is the
chemical most used by the industry. Its application has a wide scale, from fertilizers and
car batteries, to the refining of oil.
Among other uses we have:
• Decomposition of minerals (for example, titanium (IV) -oxide or uranium
digestion).
• Production of sulphates.
• Preparation of other acids (for example, hydrofluoric acid or phosphoric
acid)
• Production of fertilizers using nitric acid
• Production of surfactants
• As a catalyst
• For the treatment of metals and as a desiccant.

Also known as hydrogen acid, it is an inorganic compound with a viscous and oxidizing
liquid.
As a strong inorganic acid it belongs to mineral acids, and its one chemical formula is
H2SO4. This substance has physical and chemical properties that are:

Physical properties
• H2SO4 is a colorless or slightly yellow viscous liquid with a pungent odor.
• It has a density of 1.84 g / mL.
• Boiling point of 337 ° C.
• Melting point of 10 ° C.

Chemical properties
• Sulfuric acid is a very strong diprotic acid.
• It is hygroscopic and easily absorbs moisture from the air.
• It is a powerful oxidizing agent

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• Reacts with many metals at high temperatures.
• H2SO4 concentrate is also a strong dehydrating agent.
The addition of water to concentrated sulfuric acid is a very exothermic reaction and can
cause explosions. ( © acidosulfurico.org, s.f.)

THROUGH THIS PRACTICE H2SO4 WAS USED

Topic: Aspirin synthesis
Previous considerations:
1. Use of gloves, apron, mask, closed shoe
2. Light the Sorbonne
3. Delivery of the previous practice report
4. Possess operative technique of the practice to be performed
5. Knowledge of the phrases of Risks and Safety of the chemical reagents that will
be used
6. The reagents will be located as indicated by the teacher
7. Use a single pipette for each chemical reagent
8. Close the reagents well once used
9. Place the flannel in each workplace
Final Considerations:
1. Cleaning and organization of the workplace
2. Washing of the utensils used

Reagents to be used:
Reagents Pictogram R phrases S phrases
Ice water
Salicylic acid R-22 S-24

Acetic anhydride R-35 S-1 S-2 S-26 S-37 S-

39 S-45

Sulfuric acid R-34, R-37 S-1,S-2, S-26, S-45

Utensils and equipment:

Equipment for the experiment 1 Quantities
Flask 1
Reflux condense 1
Precipitation vessel 1
Filtration funnel 1
Test tube 2

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Theoretical framework: (Regarding practice)
Aspirin is the drug that has received the most employment in modern society, being the
most used for self-medication, in competition with compounds (which can be considered
drugs) such as caffeine (present in coffee and tea) and ethanol (which is found in liqueurs,
wine and beer). The name aspirin derives from its structure, acetylsalicylic acid. Formerly
salicylic acid was known as spiraeic acid (from the ulya Spiraea ulmaria) and therefore
aspirin was acetyl-pyraeic acid, from which it derived its name.

Aspirin is the most used analgesic drug, being also a potent antipyretic and anti-
inflammatory agent. Although numerous compounds with analgesic properties are
known, only in aspirin are they combined with an antipyretic and anti-inflammatory
character. For this reason, aspirin is used in many preparations and in conjunction with a
large number of other medications. Salicylic acid itself is an analgesic. In fact, this is the
product that can be extracted from various medicinal plants capable of relieving pain.
Initially, the drug was administered in the form of a sodium salt. However, the use of
sodium salicylate produced annoying side effects, and soon a modification of the drug
that retained the therapeutics of this compound was sought, without presenting the
undesirable side effects. Acetylsalicylic acid, a compound as effective as sodium
salicylate, but with reduced side effects, is obtained by treatment of salicylic acid with
acetic anhydride. The same type of strategy was used later for the modification of another
potent analgesic, morphine. In this case the problem consisted in its capacity to create
addiction and, with the idea of solving it, morphine was acetylated, obtaining
diacetylmorphine or heroin. It is not necessary to say that, in this case, the strategy did
not have the same success as with salicylic acid.

It is interesting to note that although the structures of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and the
essence of wintergreen (methyl salicylate) are very similar, the former is an analgesic
while the latter is mainly used as a flavoring agent. However, the essence of wintergreen
is part of many liniments, it is absorbed through the skin. Once absorbed, the methyl
salicylate can be hydrolysed to salicylic acid, which acts as an analgesic, even if it is
localized.

Acetylsalicylic acid is an ester of acetic acid and salicylic acid (the latter acts as
"alcohol"). Although acid esters can be obtained by direct interaction of acetic acid with
an alcohol or a phenol, a substitute for acetic acid, acetic anhydride, is commonly used as
an acetylating agent. This allows to produce acetate esters with much higher speed, than
5
by the direct action of acetic acid. The esterification reaction that takes place is indicated
below:

The mechanism by which this reaction takes place is the following:

On the other hand, the concentration of acetylsalicylic acid in aspirin tablets can be
determined by titration with NaOH up to the end point of phenolphthalein. As
acetylsalicylic acid is easily hydrolyzed to acetic acid and salicylic acid, the water solvent
is not suitable as a means to carry out said assessment:

As the carboxylic protons of both acetic and salicylic acid are neutralized to the end of
phenolphthalein, the hydrolysis of the starting product will give higher results and,
consequently, an excess error. The hydrolysis reaction takes place more slowly the lower
the temperature; and it is partly reduced by initially dissolving the sample in a non-
aqueous solvent such as ethanol.

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OPERATING TECHNIQUE
EXPERIMENT 1: synthesis of aspirin
In an erlenmeyer flask (flat bottomed flask) of 125 ml, in this order, 5 g of salicylic acid,
10 ml of acetic anhydride and 1.5 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid are added and the
mixture is gently stirred to homogenize it. Being an exothermic reaction, an increase in
temperature can be perceived (warming of the flask). Once all the salicylic acid has
dissolved it must begin to observe the appearance of a precipitate that would correspond
to the acetylated derivative. Keep in mind that if the temperature does not rise enough,
total acetylation is not achieved. In case this happens, heat the mixture on the electric
plate for a few minutes. (alarcon, 2015)

The reaction mixture is allowed to cool well in order to favor the precipitation of the
formed product. If the appearance of a precipitate is not observed, introduce the
Erlenmeyer flask in an ice-water bath until the appearance of crystals is observed.

Once the precipitation is complete, the solid is separated by vacuum filtration, washing
the product and the Erlenmeyer flask with a little cold water until the characteristic smell
of acetic acid (intense vinegar smell) is barely perceptible. The filtration liquids can be
concentrated and, by cooling, they can give rise to product crystals. (alarcon, 2015)

EXPERIMENT 2: purification of aspirin

The acetylsalicylic acid can be purified by recrystallization from a mixture of solvents.
To do this, place the aspirin obtained in a 100 ml beaker and add 8 to 10 ml of ethanol. It
is heated in a water bath, until the crystals dissolve. Then, 15 ml of distilled water is
slowly added and heating is continued until the solution boils. The beaker is then
separated from the flame and allowed to cool. (alarcon, 2015)

When the clouding starts, scratch the wall of the glass with a glass rod, until recrystallized
the aspirin. It is then filtered under vacuum, washing the crystals with two 3 ml portions
of cold water and drying, compressing them on filter paper. Once dried, they are weighed
to know the amount of product obtained after recrystallization. (alarcon, 2015)

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Result of the practice:

8
Conclusion:
The practice was followed by the instructions giving us precise and satisfactory results.
Which allowed us to successfully complete the practice.

General conclusions
In this practical part, H2SO4 was used for the synthesis of aspirin. The first part is to
acidify the compound by means of the acid that we have mentioned, and the second part
is already purification.

BIBLIOGRAFÍA

© acidosulfurico.org. (s.f.). Obtenido de © acidosulfurico.org: https://www.acidosulfurico.org/

acido.info. (27 de Diciembre de 2017). Obtenido de acido.info: https://acidos.info/sulfurico/

alarcon, A. B. (2015). Practicas de Química Organica Aplicada. Cuba: Rev Cum Quim.