Salicylic acid

“ Salicylic acid is in addition irritant and astringent, continued in large doses is apt to derange digestion; best to be administered on a full stomach.
Uses.—For acute rheumatism, influenza, strangles and purpura where there is much sloughing; also as a surgical wash, salicylic acid one part, borax one part to thirty or forty parts of water. Salicylic acid is a more powerful antiseptic than carbolic acid. Salicylic of soda is freely antiseptic. Salicylic acid is highly recommended in intestinal flatulence, given in two drachm doses with one ounce of aromatic spirits of ammonia. ”

“ In European countries, acetyl­salicylic acid200 is described in the various pharmacopeias as a condensation product of acetic anhydride or acetyl chloride with salicylic acid (o-hydroxy­benzoic acid) . Generally the test of identification is hydrolysis of acetyl­salicylic acid and qualitative tests for acetic acid and salicylic acid. For purposes of purity the requirements are essentially that the specimen should have a certain melting point, should show absence of salicylic acid by means of ferric chloride (the manipulations for the tests are variously described) and leave no appreciable ash. ”

“ Acidify 50 cc. of the sample with sulfuric acid, and shake vigorously with 50 cc. of a mixture of equal parts of ether and petroleum spirit. When the liquids have separated, draw off as much as possible of the solvent and filter. If an emulsion forms use a centrifugal machine, and evaporate with a small flame. If needle-shaped crystals form, salicylic acid is present. Add a few drops of water and a drop of very dilute ferric chlorid solution in such a way that the solutions will come together slowly. The presence of salicylic acid gives a purple or violet color. ”

“ Salicylic acid crystallizes in small colourless needles which melt at 155° C. It is sparingly soluble in cold Water, but readily dissolves in hot. It sublimes, but on rapid heating decomposes into carbon dioxide and phenol. It is volatile in steam. Ferric chloride colours its aqueous solution violet. Potassium bichromate and sulphuric acid oxidize it to carbon dioxide and water; and potassium chlorate and hydrochloric acid to chloranil. On boiling with concentrated nitric acid it yields picric acid. ”

“ The salicylic acid kills all kinds of germs, and destroys the growth and action of any yeast which may still be present; it is therefore of incalculable value in effectually preserving wine, and as a preventive of the deterioration to which this liquid is subject.
Must, fresh from the press in autumn, can be kept without fermentation perfectly fresh, bright, and sweet for six to eight months by the addition of 1 to 1 1/2 ounces per 50 gallon, or of 3/4 ounce per 100 bottles. Sparkling Must requires an addition of 6 to 7 ounces of salicylic acid per 100 gallons. ”

“ When the colours are alike the amount of pure acid present in the sample is equal to the amount of pure acid added. All mineral acids should be absent, even acetic acid affects the reaction. To detect the presence of salicylic acid added to beer or milk, four ounces of these liquids are dialysed for twelve hours in a pint of distilled water ”

“ It is doubtful whether pure salicylic acid produces these symptoms. When present in proportion of 1 to 1000 it inhibits the growth of moulds and yeasts. In jams 2 grains per pound and in beverages 7 grains to a gallon are considered by manufacturers to be sufficient for preservative purposes. It is used mainly in articles of food or drink containing sugar, that is to say, in jams and preserved fruit, lime and lemon juices, syrups, cider, British wines and imported lager. Its use in butter, potted meat, milk or cream, in which it was not infrequently met with formerly, is now quite exceptional. ”

“ The old-fashioned plans of pickling in salt, alcohol, or vinegar, or preserving in equal quantities of sugar, are eminently unhygienic. Quite as much to be condemned is the more modern process of keeping fruit by adding to it some preserving agent, like salicylic acid or other chemicals. Salicylic acid is an antiseptic, and like many other substances, such as carbolic acid, creosote, etc., has the power of preventing the decay of organic substances. Salicylic acid holds the preference over other drugs of this class, because it imparts no unpleasant flavor to the fruit. ”

“ Three drachms of salicylic acid are used to every 300 pounds of beetroot in the diffusing liquor, in order to prevent fermentation, and for destroying the parasitical growths, especially noticeable in the old material.
FOR DISINFECTING.
Fumigation with the acid purifies the air and walls of closed rooms. Simply evaporate some on a heated shovel, which must not be red-hot.
The air in crowded buildings, schools, barracks, hospitals, factories, etc., will be improved by keeping the floors sprinkled with the solution. ”

“ As an antiseptic salicylic acid is somewhat less powerful than carbolic acid, but its insolubility renders it unsuitable for general use. It is much more powerful than carbolic acid in its inhibitory action upon unorganized ferments such as pepsin or ptyalin. ”

“ Sodium salicylate is treated with hydrochloric acid when salicylic acid is precipitated.
Properties.—Light, fine, white, needle-shaped crystals, odorless, having a sweetish, afterwards acrid taste; permanent in air. Soluble in alcohol, ether and hot water; borax increases its solubility.
Dose.—Horses, 2 to 6 drs.; cattle, 1⁄2 to 1 oz.; sheep, 1 to 2 drs.; pigs, 30 to 40 grs.; dogs, 5 to 20 grs.; should be given well diluted; large doses are recommended for fevers, but smaller doses more often repeated in rheumatism. ”

“ It is important to ascertain what the effect of the addition is upon the quality of the food, and upon the digestive functions. Lehmann has shown that salicylic acid does not usually contribute any injurious quality to food, but apprehends that the indiscriminate use of such substances may be dangerous. Experiments have been made in our Department of Agriculture to determine what effect in retarding digestion may be possessed by such substances as salicylic acid, boric acid, sodium acid sulphite, saccharine, beta-naphthol, and alcohol. ”

“ Oxidation converts it into helicin (salicyl-aldehyde-glucose) . Populin, a benzoyl salicin, is a glucoside found in the leaves and bark of Populus tremula.
Salicin is used in medicine for the same purposes as salicylic acid and the salicylates. It is also used as a bitter tonic, i.e. a gastric stimulant, in doses of five grains. The ordinary dose may go up to forty grains or more with perfect safety, though the British Pharmacopoeia limits it to twenty. The remote action of the drug is that of salicylic acid or the numerous compounds that contain it (see Salicylic Acid) . ”

“ Certain unpleasant or toxic effects are produced by salicylic acid and salicylate of sodium; such are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, frontal headache, tinnitus, incomplete deafness, vertigo, tremor, quickened respiration, very rarely amblyopia and even temporary amaurosis, and not unfrequently delirium. A feeling of prostration and general misery is not uncommon. ”

“ Add from thirty to thirty-five cubic centimeters of salicylic acid mixture, namely, thirty cubic centimeters of sulfuric to one gram of salicylic acid, shake until thoroughly mixed, and allow to stand from five to ten minutes, with frequent shaking; then add five grams of sodium thiosulfate and ten grams of potassium sulfate. Heat very gently until frothing ceases, then strongly until nearly colorless. Dilute, neutralize, and distil the same as in the gunning method. ”

“ In addition to positive interferences from styrene and xylene in the workplace, the ingestion of sodium benzoate in food, salicylic acid, or aspirin by the worker will produce a positive interference. ”

“ It was evident, therefore, that if salicylic acid, which is odorless, almost tasteless, and, when taken in small quantities, innocuous, possessed antiseptic properties equal to those of phenol, one of the most urgent wants of modern life would be at once supplied. ”

“ It having occurred to a chemist that salicylic acid might be antiseptic like carbolic acid, he made experiments which resulted in showing that in this almost tasteless body we possess an antiseptic agent of great power. ”

“ Fortunately we know two substances which materially counteract the tendency of fats to become rancid: salicylic acid and benzoin. Either of these substances is added to many perfumery articles, especially pomades, in order to prevent rancidity; an admixture of from one-one-thousandth to five-one-thousandths parts of solid salicylic acid suffices, according to our experiments, for the purpose; of benzoin we need about three-fourths of an ounce for every quart of fat; the resin is only partly soluble in fat, but imparts to it its vanilla-like odor. ”

“ Half a gramme of the acid suffices to check the fermentation produced by five grammes of beer-yeast, acting on 120 grammes of sugar dissolved in a litre of water. Experiments made by Neubauer show that 100 grammes of salicylic acid suffices to absolutely prevent fermentation in 1,000 litres of must, or fresh-pressed juice of grapes. Flour of mustard, which, when mixed with lukewarm water, gives out the pungent oil of mustard, is perfectly odorless when a small quantity of salicylic acid is added to it. ”

“ Its sodium salt is transformed into the isomeric C6H4 (OC6H5) CO2Na when heated to 300°. When heated in air for many hours it decomposes, yielding carbon dioxide, (phenol and xanthone. Acetyl-salicylic acid (salacetic acid) , C6H4 (O·COCH3) ·CO2H, is obtained by the action of acetyl chloride on the acid or its sodium salt (K. Kraut, Ann., 1869, 150, p. 9) . It crystallizes in needles and melts at 132° C. (with decomposition) . Hydrolysis with baryta water gives acetic and salicylic acids. It is used in medicine under the names aspirin, acetysal, aletodin, saletin, xaxa, &c. ”

“ Sal′icylāte, a salt of salicylic acid.—adjs. Sal′icylāted, combined with salicylic acid; Salicy′lic, obtained from the willow.—Salicylate of sodium, a product occurring in small white crystals, used very largely in acute rheumatism. [L. salix, salicis, a willow.]
Salicornia, sal-i-kor′ni-a, n. a genus of apetalous plants—the glass-wort, marsh-samphire. [Fr.,—L. sal, salt, cornu, a horn.]
Salient, sā′li-ent, adj. leaping or springing: (fort.) projecting outwards, as an angle: prominent: striking: (geom.) denoting any angle less than two right angles: (her.) ”

“ Finally, the manufacture of acetyl­salicylic acid in this country is another example of the fact that American chemists can produce the drug synthetics, and at the same time make products as good as, if not better than, those of German origin. ”

“ Phenol is another of the multitudes of substances obtainable from coal-tar; it can be prepared from aniline by the action of nitrous acid, and can be shown to be benzene with one hydrogen atom replaced by hydroxyl. If one of the adjacent hydrogen atoms of phenol is replaced by carboxyl, salicylic acid is produced; and in the presence of a suitable dehydrating agent salicylic acid reacts with phenol and phenyl salicylate, known as salol, is formed. ”

“ The reagent is prepared by dissolving 30 grains of flesh peptone, 4 grains of salicylic acid, and 30 minims of strong acetic acid, in sufficient water to produce 8 fluid oz. of solution. Thus prepared, the peptone shows no signs of decomposition on keeping. To use the test, mix 1 fluid drachm of the reagent with 20 minims of urine, previously diluted to a standard specific gravity of 1.003. A haze is produced, which will be found to be more or less distinct, according to the proportion of bile salts present. ”

“ The preparation of salicylic acid from the products of coal-tar was discovered by Kolbe about twenty years ago, inducing a more thorough study of the properties of this acid, from which it was found to be one of the most valuable remedies for rheumatic complaints and for gout. Thus one discovery often becomes the source of a whole series of new ones, and may prove a blessing to mankind in the most unexpected and various ways. ”

“ Very rarely hæmaturia and even nephritis have occurred. The active principle is chiefly eliminated by the kidneys, which may account for a local irritating influence upon those organs.
Salicine is much preferred by Maclagan to salicylic acid and to salicylate of sodium, on the grounds that it is a bitter tonic and produces less debility and more rapid convalescence than those agents, and that it never produces delirium nor depresses the heart's action. Ringer176 and Charteris177 state that they have never seen salicine, even in large doses, cause delirium ”

“ Better success has attended later shipments of meat from Canada to London, and from Texas to New Orleans. The progress made in ice-making machines is such as to inspire great hopes of success in preserving meat by cold.
Among chemical antiseptics common salt of course holds a place. Many patents have been taken out for the employment of sulphur-fumes (sulphurous acid) . Bisulphite of lime is very efficacious for the temporary preservation of meat, and has been practically tested with favorable results. Our readers need not be reminded of what is claimed for salicylic acid. ”

“ As in rheumatism, the medicine should be continued in smaller doses after the acute symptoms have subsided for several days, the tendency to relapse being marked if the drug be discontinued too soon. In subacute articular gout and in the irregular forms of the disease, where the medicine has to be continued for some time, salicin and the oil of wintergreen are to be preferred to salicylic acid and the sodium salicylate. They are less liable to disturb the stomach and to produce toxic effects. ”