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I’m doing coursework on aspirin for A2 and was wondering, when I have dissolved the aspirin and salicylic acid in ethanol and water to obtain the various concentrations for titrating it, will this dissolving have any effect on the titre? Will the excess ethanol react or will the water partially hydrolyse the aspirin?
100408

Igloo writes ..........
 
The short answer is no!
 
Under the conditions of the titration (at room temperature) ethanol will not react to form an ester with the salicylic acid nor will it do so with the aspirin. Also the aspirin will not be hydrolysed under these conditions. Hydrolysis at room temperature is a relatively slow process.

Risk assessment
Before attempting any practical work based on the advice and suggestions on this website, you must do the following. Identify any hazards, assess the risks from these hazards, and then decide appropriate control measures to reduce the risks. You must have these approved by those in authority in your school or college laboratory. Do not rely on what is said on this website. For further guidance see our tutorial on Risk Assessment.

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updated: 11 April 2008

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