Acetanilide:
Five persons fell unconscious and were hospitalised when they were engaged in shifting acetanilide bags from one container to another in Visakhapatnam recently.
- Acetanilide is a synthetic organic compoundwith a designated molecular formula of C8H9NO.
- It is also known as N-phenylacetamide, acetanil, or acetanilide.
- It is a white, odorless solid.
- It is functionally related to an acetic acid.
- It was introduced in therapy in 1886 as a fever-reducing drug.
- Its effectiveness in relieving pain was discovered soon thereafter, and it was used as an alternative to aspirin for many years in treating such common complaints as headache, menstrual cramps, and rheumatism.
- Excessive or prolonged use of acetanilide engenders toxic side effects: it interferes with the function of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment of the blood.
- In the body, acetanilide is mostly converted to acetaminophen (paracetamol), which has replaced acetanilide in therapy because it is less likely to induce blood disorders.
- It is used as an intermediate in the production of dyes, rubber, and other chemicals.
