Pulverizing Aspirin: Physical or Chemical Process?

Is pulverizing an aspirin a physical or chemical process?

What distinguishes a physical process from a chemical process?

Answer:

Pulverizing an aspirin is a physical process, which changes its form without altering the chemical structure, unlike chemical processes such as hydrolysis or synthesis reactions.

Explanation: Pulverizing an aspirin is a physical process because it involves changing the form or texture of the aspirin without altering its chemical structure. A physical process may include changes like grinding, cutting, or changing the state of matter (solid, liquid, gas), but the elemental and molecular composition of the substance remains the same. Unlike chemical processes, such as the hydrolysis of aspirin that occurs in the body to produce salicylic acid and acetic acid, pulverizing simply results in smaller pieces or powder of the same chemical compound, acetylsalicylic acid.

It's important to distinguish physical processes from chemical reactions, which involve the formation or breaking of chemical bonds and the production of new substances, as described in the synthesis of aspirin from salicylic acid and acetic anhydride or the esterification and transesterification reactions that define aspirin's activity in the body.