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When aspirin gets old, it begins to decompose and you get a vinegar smell. If you smell that, the aspirin is decomposing and acetic acid is being released. Aspirin should be used before the decomposition occurs. It will still work, because the salicylic acid that does the work is still there. It can be corrosive to the stomach and that's why they combine it with a process that produces acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). When decomposition occurs, you get salicylic acid and acetic acid.

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14y ago

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