The Organic Compound Acetaminophen

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Organic Compound Project-Acetaminophen Introduction to Acetaminophen Acetaminophen, the generic name for Paracetamol, is a widely used pain-controlling and fever-reducing drug. According to the American Chemical Society, the compound was first discovered in 1878 by Harmon Northrop Morse, an American chemist and associate professor at John Hopkins University. Harmon was attempting to find an alternative pain reliever by reducing p-nitrophenol with tin in glacial acetic acid (“Molecule of the Week Archive: Acetaminophen.”). Despite the discovery and multiple studies on it, it was not until 1950 that it was first used under the name Triagestic. Today, it is commonly sold as Tylenol, Panadol, and a generic drug. Structure and description of the compound. Acetaminophen’s molecular formula is C₈H₉NO_2,  its extended formula is HOC6H4NHCOCH3, and its systematic IUPAC name is N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) ethanamide. Its structure:                            H                                                  N                             CH₃                                                                         O HO        Lewis dot & structural diagram of Acetaminophen                 The Acetaminophen molecule is made up of twenty bonds. Eleven are non-H bonds, seven multiple bonds, one rotate bond, one double bond, six aromatic bonds, one–six-membered ring, one secondary amide, and one aromatic hydroxyl. The drug is made up of three functional groups, namely, the hydroxyl group (OH) found at the top of the molecule, the amide group (HN-CO-R) located at the bottom of the ring, and the aromatic group made up of six rings (National Center for Biotechnology Information). Uses of Acetaminophen             Acetaminophen compound, which comes in tablets, chewable, caplets, capsules, getlabs, oral suspension, and oral syrup, is a useful medication due to its pain-relieving (analgesics), fever-reducing (antipyretics) properties. It is taken to reduce minor to moderate pains such as headaches, aches in the muscles, menstrual periods, sore throats and toothaches, colds, backaches, and the pain of arthritis. As a fever reducer, it mini...