ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SYNTHESIS OF PARACETAMOL AND COLOR REMOVAL IN ITS CRUDE PRODUCT

• Main Author: Emily, Karyn
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Subjects: Kimia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/83122
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Paracetamol is one of the commonly consumed analgesic and antipyretic drugs in Indonesia. In 2022, the amount of paracetamol consumed by the Indonesian people was recorded at 9000 tons per year. However, there are obstacles in the synthesis of paracetamol by conventional methods because it still involves hazardous processes and uses reagents that are not environmentally friendly. The solution to this problem is to use another method that follows the principles of green chemistry for the preparation of paracetamol. This study uses the Hoechst-Celanese method involving Beckmann rearrangement as an alternative to paracetamol synthesis. The Hoechst-Celanese method uses a synthesis pathway that is more concise and effective, and tends to be more environmentally friendly compared to other paracetamol synthesis pathways. This research consists of oxime synthesis, paracetamol synthesis, and decolorization of paracetamol crude product. The precursor compound used in this study was para-hydroxyacetophenone. The synthesis of para-hydroxyacetophenone oxime was carried out by reacting para hydroxyacetophenone compounds, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, and sodium acetate trihydrate with water solvent which produced a white solid product with a yield of 97%. Paracetamol synthesis was carried out by reacting para-hydroxyacetophenone oxime compound and oxalic acid dihydrate with acetonitrile solvent and without any solvent. In this study, the amount of acetonitrile solvent was varied to find the conditions that gave the most optimal results and the reaction with para-hydroxyacetophenone oxime concentration of 100 g/L gave the best results in synthesizing paracetamol. The synthesis of paracetamol without solvent is still constrained in the purification and decolorization stages of the paracetamol crude product so that the yield cannot be determined. Purification of paracetamol crude product was carried out by crystallization, carbon adsorption, and extraction techniques which were quite effective in purifying paracetamol crude product from colored and colorless impurities. Impurities in paracetamol crude product can be para-aminophenol compounds, para-nitrophenol, quinones, and so on.