[zilalti]

I recently synthesised aspirin by refluxing 2-hydroxybenzoic acid with ethanoic anhydride. Then filtering and recrystalizating with HCl I obtained about 1 or 2 grams of the impure aspirin.
Hears my question, when i dried the crystals in the dessicator on filter paper it burnt a hole right through. I know ethanoic acids is a biproduct but surely its not responsible. Anyone know what happened??.
     

[movies]

Sounds like residual HCl to me.

[zilalti]

hmm i suppose but it was a charred hole almost like it had ignited, i would have thought HCl corrosion would look different.

[movies]

Depends on how it happened.  Have you ever seen the demonstration where sulfuric acid is added to table sugar resulting in a column of charcoal?  It looks just like you had burned something, but there isn't any burning, just dehydration of the hydrocarbons.

[Mitch]

isn't any burning, just dehydration of the hydrocarbons.

Specifically oxidation of hydrocarbons for those purest physical organic chemists.

[movies]

Ah!  Bested by Mitch once again!