Salicylic acid the OH group is "ortho" to the carboxyl group. It is also known as 2-hydroxybenzoic acid. It is poorly soluble in water (2 g/L at 20 °C). Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid or ASA) can be prepared by the esterification of the phenolic hydroxyl group of salicylic acid with the acetyl group from acetic anhydride or acetyl chloride. Salicylic acid can also be prepared using the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction. Salicylic acid is used as a food preservative, a bactericidal and an antiseptic. Sodium salicylate is a useful phosphor in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral range, with nearly flat quantum efficiency for wavelengths between 10
Medicine in the medieval Islamic world include "A Dissertation on the causes of the Coryza which occurs in the spring when roses give forth their scent", a tract in which al-Razi discussed why it is that one contracts coryza or common cold by smelling roses during the spring season, and "Bur’al Sa’a" ("Instant cure") in which he named medicines which instantly cured certain diseases. "Ibn Sina", more commonly known in west as Avicenna was a Persian polymath and physician of the tenth and eleventh centuries. He was known for his scientific works, but especially his writing on medicine. He has been described as the "Father of