The history of Aspirin

By amitemple

  • Two Italians obtained salicin

    in 1826 two Italians, Brugnatelli and Fontana, obtained salicin, but in a highly impure form

  • Johann Buchner isolated a tiny amount of bitter tasting yellow, needle-like crystals, which he called salicin.

    in 1828, Johann Buchner, professor of pharmacy at the University of Munich, isolated a tiny amount of bitter tasting yellow, needle-like crystals, which he called salicin.

  • scientists discovered that it was the compound called salicin in willow plants

    in 1829, scientists discovered that it was the compound called salicin in willow plants which gave you the pain relief.

  •  Henri Lerouxhad improved the extraction procedure to obtain

    By 1829, Henri Lerouxhad improved the extraction procedure to obtain about 30g from 1.5kg of bark

  • Raffaele Piria made salicylic acid

     In 1838, Raffaele Piria [an Italian chemist] then working at the Sorbonne in Paris, split salicin into a sugar and an aromatic component and converted the latter, by hydrolysis and oxidation, to an acid of crystallised colourless needles, which he named salicylic acid."

  • creating acetylsalicylic acid

    In 1853, Gerhardt neutralized salicylic acid by buffering it with sodium (sodium salicylate) and acetyl chloride, creating acetylsalicylic acid. 

  • Felix Hoffmann rediscovered Gerhardt's formula

    In 1899, a German chemist named Felix Hoffmann, who worked for a German company called Bayer, rediscovered Gerhardt's formula

  • Aspirin was patented

    Aspirin was patented on February 27, 1900.

  • the first Aspirin tablets were made

    In 1915, the first Aspirin tablets were made.