Acetaminophen (C)

Chaithanya Ganji
Background

Acetaminophen is an OTC drug typically going by the name Tylenol.

It is also known as Paracetamol in other areas around the world. It
was originally discovered in the late 19th century but was used
commercially in the mid 20th century.
Structure

Chemical Formula: C8H9NO2

Grey: Carbon
White: Hydrogen
Blue: Nitrogen
Red: Oxygen
Molar Mass

Atomic weights: Number of atoms in Mass:

• C: 12 Acetaminophen: C: 12x8 = 96
• O: 16 C: 8 O: 16x2 = 32
O: 2 N: 14x1 = 14
• N: 14 N: 1 H: 1x9 = 9
• H: 1 H: 9
Total: 151

Molar Mass is = 151g/mole

Model

I made a model using Styrofoam balls, dowels, and super glue. (I forgot
to take a picture of the model)

The big ball with a green shade is nitrogen, the yellow is oxygen,
the white ones are carbon. The small ones represent hydrogen.
Dosage

100% w/v = 100 grams/100 mL

250 cc = 250cm^3 = 250 mL

1.5% w/v = 1.5 grams/100 mL

In a sample dosage
250 mL X 1.5 g
of 250 cc, 3.75
100 mL grams of
Acetaminophen
would be given
Element
400 mg = .4 g

In 400 mg of Acetaminophen, there

would be 1.276 x 10^22 atoms of
carbon.
Compound

In order for a patient to ingest 15

grams of carbon, they would have to
take in 9.409 x 10^22 molecules of
Acetaminophen.
Dilution and Concentration

1625 cc of Acetaminophen are needed

to make 13 L of a 1:2000 w/v
solution.
Child Dosage

The dosage for a 6 year old child weighing 42

pounds would be 105 mg.
How many days

It would take 593.75 days, or 594 when

rounded up to ingest 4.75 moles of
Acetaminophen given that a patients takes
2 200 mg tablets 3 times a day.
Half-Life

Only 3.125 grams will remain after 40 days

considering its half life is 8 days.
Advertisement (1)

URL:
https://bettercopy.org/2015/08/10
/tylenol-repositions-the-competition
/
Advertisement (2)

Tylenol created this advert to divert people from taking Aspirin over
their brand. This is a older advertisement so it refers to elixir.

The ads are targeted towards adults. It is rather blunt and

straightforward so children wouldn’t have much interest. It also
tries to appeal to a larger group of people by offering different
amounts of the medicine, which is likely to show it can be
affordable.
Advertisement (3)

The message Tylenol is trying to send is that it is superior to Aspirin and that it should be
the first choice.

It says in the smaller print that this is meant for those who cannot handle Aspirin which may
try to scare others into not taking Aspirin thus resorting to Tylenol.

The positive message is the list of the benfits it provides such as protection against seasonal
allergies. The negative message is the list of possible side effects of Aspirin.

Tylenol tries to scare people into buying their medicine. They list all the problems that may
occur with Aspirin and state that they don’t have the same problems and can even provide
more benefits.
Advertisement (4)

At first, a painful, scary lifestyle is associated with Aspirin. Then a supposedly

happy lifestyle is associated with Tylenol. Tylenol is stated not to have the same
painful side effects of Aspirin as it contains no Aspirin.

This advert doesn’t really express any values nor does it empower nor
disempower people. It simply devalues Aspirin and tries to bring customers to
buy Tylenol instead.

The biggest untold story is the side effects of Acetaminophen. This can be found
on the CDC or FDA websites (this wouldn’t be possible back when the advert was
created).
 Nobel Prize Winner

Selman Waksman was a Russian inventor born in

1888. He had a Ph.D. in biochemistry which he
earned in 1918. He also became a naturalized citizen
of the U.S.A. at this time.

He taught microbiology at Rutgers College for most

of his career. He transitioned from soil microbiology
to production of antibiotics. He, along with students
and associates discovered many antibiotics such as
streptomycin.

The discovery of streptomycin was why Waksman

won the Nobel prize. It was the only drug at the
time proven
Selman to beBiographical.
A. Waksman effective against
(2021). tuberculosis.
NobelPrize.Org. Retrieved November 11,
2021, from
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1952/waksman/biographical/
Pharmacologist: Education

A pharmacologist first has to do 4 years of college to earn their

Bachelor’s degree. They would have to major in life sciences such as
biology or chemistry. Tuition can range from 7500 USD to 25500 USD
for an undergrad program.
After a Bachelors, pharmacologists typically require a MD, Ph.D., or
PharmD. The average costs are 90.5k USD, 30k USD, and 30-60k USD
respectively. Furthermore, they must also have a fellowship and
clinical experience.
Pharmacologist: Daily Life

A pharmacologist’s job is to develop and study medicine. They make

work in a lab setting where they are actively studying or developing
medicine. Or they work outside of a lab, in a field, supervising
clinical trials or conducting one themselves. They also work on
therapies. They also study the effects of drugs at the molecular
level to make sure they understand absolutely everything about the
drug before it is even close to being administered to a human.
Pharmacologist: Job Details and Reflection

The current job outlook for pharmacologists is at 8%. The average

salary is $99,340.

On a scale or 1-10, my interest level is a 3. This seems like a really

boring job. It’s the same process repeated over and over again. It
would be interesting at first, but then it would fall off really
quickly.
Pharmacologist: Sites

What Is a Pharmacologist? (2019). Learn.Org. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from

https://learn.org/articles/What_is_a_Pharmacologist.html
Dolan, C. (2021, October). What Does a Pharmacologist Do? | Master’s in Public Health Degree
Programs. Masterspublichealth.Net. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from
https://www.masterspublichealth.net/faq/what-does-a-pharmacologist-do/