AspirinIn 1899, acetylsalycilic acid was patented by Felix Hoffmann. It is better known by its tradename as Aspirin. He had successfully created a chemically pure and stable form of acetylsalicylic acid in 1897. His handwritten laboratory notes suggested: “Through its physical characteristics such as a sour taste without any corrosive effect, acetylsalicylic acid has an advantage over salicylic acid and will therefore be tested for its usability in this context.”His success was Aspirin - a better pain reliever for his father's rheumatoid arthritis than the salicylic acid previously used, which had an unpleasant taste and side effects, such as stomach bleeding. Hoffmann had improved on the earlier impure form derived by French chemist Charles Frederic Gerhardt (1853). |
