Aspirin

Aspirin molecule

Aspirin is the brand name for Salicylic acid. It's production on Mars would be part of a larger chemical production system, and it can be used as a model for the complexity of the chemical industry that would be required for a Mars Settlement.

In situ production

Aspirin can be synthesized from simple precursor molecules using the following synthesis path:

Methane (CH4) + Catalytic reforming -> mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons including Toluene and Benzene

Separation by distillation -> Toluene (C₇H₈)

Toluene + O₂ in a copper-catalyzed reaction of molten sodium benzoate-> Phenol (C₆H₅OH)

Phenol + sodium hydroxide -> sodium phenoxide (NaOC₆H₅)

Sodium phenoxide +CO₂ at 100 atm and 115 °C in a method known as the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction -> sodium salicylate (C₇H₅NaO₃₎

Sodium salicylate + acidification with sulfuric acid ->

Salicylic acid

Sodium benzoate

sodium hydroxyde

It may be more practical to produce aspirin from the bark of the willow tree, that contains the amino acid Phenylalanine. however, this requires the mastery of enzyme catalyzed processes.