Subject DefinitionAspirin was invented in the late 1890s. More than a hundred years later, thanks to its anti-fever and anti-inflammatory effects, it is become one of the most used drugs in the world. It is interesting that this famous medicine, at first, was invented by a German scientist in order to find an effective remedy to cure his father's pain.HistoryInnovated by the fact that ancient people used willow bark to relieve pain. pain, the first chemically pure and stable Acetylsalicylic acid was synthesized by a German chemist called Felix Hoffmann, in 1897 (Bayer AG, 2011). His father initially took aspirin to reduce his arthritic pain. Aspirin was successful in relieving the pain. After two years of laboratory experimentation, aspirin as a product was first released by Bayer AG in 1899 (Bayer AG, 2011). The coming world war accidentally increased the demand for aspirin. Scientific organization The invention of aspirin, a medical breakthrough, mainly belongs to the knowledge of chemistry. In order to study how aspirin actually works and its possible side effects, knowledge of pharmacology is also necessary.KnowledgeIn terms of production, aspirin can be produced manually or industrially. Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid by chemists, can be obtained from willow bark. To manufacture aspirin industrially, phenol, sodium hydroxide, carbon dioxide and acid are required. First, phenol is mixed with concentrated sodium hydroxide to obtain sodium phenox. Then, in reaction with carbon dioxide, sodium salicylate is generated. After that, in an acidic solvent, sodium ions are replaced by H+ ions. In this way, salicylic acid is produced. To make hard aspirin tablets, corn starch and water must be added to the salicylic acid. Finally, the chemical mixture is compressed into tablets by tablet machines. In the 100 years since the birth of aspirin, although people appreciated its pain-relieving function, no one knew how aspirin actually worked until the late 1990s. In the 1970s, scientists learned that it is the release of prostaglandins, molecules similar to hormones, after injuries that cause fever and inflammation. Analysis of PGHS (prostaglandin H2 synthase), the enzyme that produces prostaglandin, finally reveals the process of action of aspirin. The enzyme is surrounded by 2 protein subunits, arachidonic acid, a basic component of prostaglandin, traveling through the channel between the two protein subunits to the core of the PGHS enzyme. The aspirin molecule splits into two, saliucylic acid and acetyl group, after entering the PGHS enzyme channel. Because the acetyl group blocks the entry of the channel, arachidonic acid cannot access the core of the PGHS enzyme, thus stopping prostaglandin production..