Preparation of Solid Acid – Activated Carbon as Catalyst in Aspirin Synthesis

Pharmaceutical synthesis commonly relies on a homogeneous acid catalyst, which is relatively simple in application yet problematic in product purification procedures. This study was an effort to investigate an alternative replacement for homogeneous acid catalysts with an acidified solid catalyst, developed from activated carbon. The activated carbon catalyst had been treated with sulfuric acid before it was applied to produce aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) through catalytic acetylation route. Using atmospheric pressure reaction, conducted at 353 K, aspirin was successfully synthesized. When salicylic acid and acetic acid glacial were used as reactants, approximately 9-10 % reaction yield could be obtained. Replacement of acetic acid with acetic anhydride in the acetylation reaction produced an overall yield as high as 28 %.