History of aspirin History of aspirin The history of aspirin (IUPAC name acetylsalicylic acid ) begins with its synthesis and manufacture in 1899. Before that, salicylic acid had been used medicinally since antiquity. Medicines made from willow and other salicylate-rich plants appear in clay tablets from ancient Sumer as well as the Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt. Hippocrates referred to their use of salicylic tea to reduce fevers around 400 BC, and were part of the pharmacopoeia of Western medicine in classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. Willow bark extract became recognized for its specific effects on fever, pain and inflammation in the
Silicotungstic acid Silicotungstic acid Silicotungstic acid (also known as tungstosilicic acid) is the most commonly encountered heteropoly acid. It is a pale yellow solid with the chemical formula H[WSiO]. It is used as a catalyst in the chemical industry. Silicotungstic acid is used to manufacture ethyl acetate by the alkylation of acetic acid by ethylene: It has also been commercialized for the oxidation of ethylene to acetic acid: This route is claimed as a "greener" than methanol carbonylation. The heteropoly acid is dispersed on silica gel at 20-30 wt% to maximize catalytic ability. It has also recently been proposed as a mediator