Know Your Chemicals | Acetaminophen | Aspirin | Ibuprofen

Chemical Compounds

Some are safe and part of our daily lives, some are hazardous and deadly. Today we talk about three Chemicals in details. The three chemicals are: Acetaminophen, Aspirin, Ibuprofen.

Chemical Compound	Chemical Formula	Mol. weight	Chem CID
Acetaminophen	C8H9NO2	151.16256 g/mol	1983
Aspirin	C9H8O4	180.15742 g/mol	2244
Ibuprofen	C13H18O2	206.28082 g/mol	3672

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Acetaminophen

Also known as: p- hydroxyacetanilide, paracetamol, Panadol, N-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)acetamide, Tylenol.

Physical Description: Odorless white crystalline solid. Bitter taste. pH about 6.

General information:

Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen or APAP, is a medication used to treat pain and fever. It is typically used for mild to moderate pain. There is poor evidence for fever relief in children. It is often sold in combination with other ingredients such as in many cold medications. In combination with opioid pain medication, paracetamol is used for more severe pain such as cancer pain and after surgery. It is typically used either by mouth or rectally but is also available intravenously. Effects last between two and four hours.

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Aspirin

Also known as: p- Acetyl salicylic acid, o-Acetoxybenzoic acid

Physical Description: Odorless white crystals or crystalline powder with a slightly bitter taste, pH about 3.

General information:

Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a medication used to treat pain, fever, and inflammation. Specific inflammatory conditions in which it is used include Kawasaki disease, pericarditis, and rheumatic fever. Aspirin given shortly after a heart attack decreases the risk of death. Aspirin is also used long-term to help prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots in people at high risk. Aspirin may also decrease the risk of certain types of cancer, particularly colorectal cancer. For pain or fever, effects typically begin within 30 minutes.

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Ibuprofen

Also known as: Advil, Motrin, Nuprin, rac-2-(p-isobutylphenyl) propionic acid.

Physical Description: Colorless, crystalline stable solid. with a Characteristic odor, pH about 4.4.

General information:

Ibuprofen, from isobutylphenylpropanoic acid, is a drug in the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) class used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation. This includes painful menstrual periods, migraines, and rheumatoid arthritis. About 60% of people improve with any given NSAID, and it is recommended that if one does not work then another should be tried. It may also be used to close a patent ductus arteriosus in a premature baby. It can be used by mouth or intravenously. It typically begins working within an hour.

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^{Sources: National Center for Biotechnology Information. Wikipedia. Images by Pixabay}