This week, Lower Sixth chemistry pupils swapped their usual lessons for a hands-on day in the lab, stepping into the shoes of pharmaceutical chemists. Their challenge: to synthesise aspirin, one of the world’s most widely used painkillers, as part of their practical endorsement.
Working with focus and precision, pupils carried out a sequence of advanced techniques—including reflux, recrystallisation, and vacuum filtration—to produce their own samples. The warm weather didn’t slow them down, and by the end of the day, every pupil had successfully completed the synthesis. Once fully dry, the aspirin will be analysed to determine yield and purity.
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