Acetanilide

Acetanilide is an organic compound. It is the amide made from acetic acid and aniline, and has the chemical formula CH₃CO NH C₆H₅.

Acetanilide was historically used as a painkiller and fever medicine, with the trade name Antifebrin. However, it was discovered to be toxic. Researchers looking for an alternative found that the body changes acetanilide into a different chemical, acetaminophen, which causes the medical effects without the toxicity. Acetanilide was then replaced with acetaminophen as a medicine.

Sources

↑ "Antifebrin". National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
↑ McGill, Mitchell R.; Hinson, Jack A. (2020). "The development and hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen: Reviewing over a century of progress". Drug Metabolism Reviews. 52 (4): 472–500. doi:10.1080/03602532.2020.1832112. PMC 8427730. PMID 33103516.

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[1] "Antifebrin". National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2026-01-15.

[2] McGill, Mitchell R.; Hinson, Jack A. (2020). "The development and hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen: Reviewing over a century of progress". Drug Metabolism Reviews. 52 (4): 472–500. doi:10.1080/03602532.2020.1832112. PMC 8427730. PMID 33103516.