Sodium salicylate
Encyclopedia
Sodium salicylate is a sodium
salt of salicylic acid
. It can be prepared from sodium phenolate and carbon dioxide
under higher temperature and pressure. Historically, it has been synthesized from methyl salicylate
(found in wintergreen
plants or the bark of sweet birch
tree) by reacting it with an excess of sodium hydroxide and heating it under reflux.
in children and adults, usually following a viral infection such as influenza or chicken pox. Products containing such salicylates should not be given to children under the age of 19.
and antipyretic
. Sodium salicylate also acts as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
(NSAID), and induces apoptosis
in cancer cells and also necrosis
. It is also a potential replacement for aspirin for people sensitive to it.
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
salt of salicylic acid
Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is a monohydroxybenzoic acid, a type of phenolic acid and a beta hydroxy acid. This colorless crystalline organic acid is widely used in organic synthesis and functions as a plant hormone. It is derived from the metabolism of salicin...
. It can be prepared from sodium phenolate and carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
under higher temperature and pressure. Historically, it has been synthesized from methyl salicylate
Methyl salicylate
Methyl salicylate is a natural product of many species of plants. Some of the plants which produce it are called wintergreens, hence the common name.-Botanical background:...
(found in wintergreen
Wintergreen
Wintergreen is a group of plants. Wintergreen once commonly referred to plants that continue photosynthesis throughout the winter...
plants or the bark of sweet birch
Sweet Birch
Betula lenta is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from southern Maine west to southernmost Ontario, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.-Characteristics and habitat:It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching 20 m tall with...
tree) by reacting it with an excess of sodium hydroxide and heating it under reflux.
Properties
Sodium salicylate is of the salicylate family and this compound is known to trigger Reye's SyndromeReye's syndrome
Reye's syndrome is a potentially fatal disease that causes numerous detrimental effects to many organs, especially the brain and liver, as well as causing a lower than usual level of blood sugar . The classic features are liver damage, aspirin use and a viral infection...
in children and adults, usually following a viral infection such as influenza or chicken pox. Products containing such salicylates should not be given to children under the age of 19.
Uses
It is used in medicine as an analgesicAnalgesic
An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
and antipyretic
Antipyretic
Antipyretics ; an-tee-pahy-ret-iks; from the Greek anti, against, and pyreticus, are drugs or herbs that reduce fever. Normally, they will not lower body temperature if one does not have a fever. Antipyretics cause the hypothalamus to override an interleukin-induced increase in temperature...
. Sodium salicylate also acts as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, usually abbreviated to NSAIDs or NAIDs, but also referred to as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents/analgesics or nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory medicines , are drugs with analgesic and antipyretic effects and which have, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory...
(NSAID), and induces apoptosis
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...
in cancer cells and also necrosis
Necrosis
Necrosis is the premature death of cells in living tissue. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, toxins, or trauma. This is in contrast to apoptosis, which is a naturally occurring cause of cellular death...
. It is also a potential replacement for aspirin for people sensitive to it.