METHYL SALICYLATE

Methyl salicylate is an organic ester naturally produced by many species of plants, particularly wintergreens. It is also synthetically produced, used as a fragrance, in foods and beverages, and in liniments.It is used in high concentrations as a rubefacient and analgesic in deep heating liniments (such as Bengay) to treat joint and muscular pain. Randomised double blind trial reviews report evidence of its effectiveness that is weak, but stronger for acute pain than chronic pain, and that effectiveness may be due entirely to counter-irritation. However, in the body it metabolizes into salicylates, including salicylic acid, a known NSAID It is used in low concentrations (0.04% and under)[10] as a flavoring agent in chewing gum and mints. When mixed with sugar and dried it is a potentially entertaining source of triboluminescence, gaining the tendency to build up electrical charge when crushed or rubbed. This effect can be observed by crushing wintergreen Life Savers in a dark room.It is used as an antiseptic in Listerinemouthwash produced by the Johnson & Johnson company.[13] It provides fragrance to various products and as an odor-masking agent for some organoste pesticides It is used as a bait for attracting male orchid bees for study, which apparently gather the chemical to synthesize romones It is used to clear plant or animal tissue samples of color, and as such is useful for microscopy and immunohistochemistry when excess pigments obscure structures or block light in the tissue being examined. This clearing generally only takes a few minutes, but the tissue must first be dehydrated in alcohol. It is used as a transfer agent, to produce a manual copy of an image on a surface. It is used in small amounts, to lower the freezing point of glacial acetic acid for transport. It is used as a simulant or surrogate for the research of chemical warfare agent sulfur mustard, due to its similar chemical and sical properties It is used in restoring (at least temporarily) the elastomeric properties of old rubber rollers, especially in printers