Aspirin® : from chemical principle to its action

Curso de Formação

Ano Letivo 2025/2026

Aspirin® is one of the world's most important and successful medicines and is included in the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines. Interesting facts include its inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1950 as the world's most popular painkiller and, in 1969, in the self-medication kit that the Apollo 11 astronauts took to the moon. Since its synthesis over 100 years ago, it has improved the quality of life. If, on the one hand, its therapeutic action is an unquestionable asset, on the other hand, Aspirin® is an example for teaching various contents in the areas of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences while also allowing integration with good safety practices in laboratories and environmental sustainability. In this training course, with a strong theoretical-practical component and laboratory practice, in addition to the historical context and importance of Aspirin® for society, the essential aspects of the chemistry involved in obtaining the active ingredient of the drug and the physical processes of purification and extraction will be covered, as well as the methods of analysis and characterization of the compound. The pharmacological characterization of Aspirin®, in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic terms, will also be covered.