A lab report of the preparation of ibuprofen —— whether it can be made at home

Abstract

The present study investigates the process of making ibuprofen and to verify whether this process can be done at home. The 1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethan-1-ol(97%) is used as the starting reagent which underwent carbonyl reduction, chloride substitution, and Grignard reaction. And is finally evidenced that the assumption of producing the medicine at home by oneself is not feasible since the apparatus required is not commonly presented at home, the environment needed for the reaction to take place is difficult to achieve and some of the reagents the reaction needs is strictly controlled and unable to be purchased. The study also highlights some of the mistakes and problems met during the experiment process and the corresponding solutions and improvements are given. The process of operating paper chromatography and column chromatography are shown and discussed as well. Moreover, some applications of ibuprofen which are being used today are also mentioned such as reducing fever, relieving pain and diminishing inflammation.