Question

One of the most widely used drugs in medicine, iodex is?
a.) Ethyl salicylate
b.) Methyl salicylate
c.) O- hydroxybenzoic acid
d.) Acetyl salicylic acid

Answer 1

Hint: The key compound in iodex is also known as oil of winter green or minty. It can be produced by esterifying methanol and salicylic acid.


Complete step-by-step answer:
Iodex is the medicine that is most widely used and is composed of methyl salicylate. Its chemical name is methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate and its chemical formula is \[{{C}_{8}}{{H}_{8}}{{O}_{3}}\]. It is also known as oil of wintergreen or simply wintergreen oil because it is obtained from wintergreen species. It is an organic ester which is produced naturally from the extract of plants especially wintergreens.
Gaultheria procumbence is the species from which it was extracted for the first time in 1843. Synthetically it is manufactured by the esterification between salicylic acid and methanol. It’s another prime use is as fragrance as in the food and beverage industry, in liniments as it has the smell of mint.
It has a range of colors, sometimes it is colorless, sometimes it has yellowish or red color with a particular odor and taste of wintergreen. It is used in chewing gum and mints as flavorings agents and in mouthwashes as antiseptics. It gives freshness to the mouth.
Methyl salicylate, is used as medicine in iodex for treatment of headaches, and for sprains, aches and bruises.

The correct option is B.

Note: Methyl salicylate is the key ingredient of iodex. It is obtained from plants of winter green, that’s why it is known as wintergreen oil or oil of wintergreen. It can be manufactured artificially by the esterification reaction between salicylic acid and methanol. Methyl salicylates are used as antiseptic, analgesic, flavoring agents.