ABSTRACT
Acetaminophen (A^-acetyl-p-aminophenol; APAP) was first synthesized in the United States in 1877 (1). Its use did not become extensive until 1949, when it was recog nized as the principal active metabolite of phenacetin (2-4). Acetaminophen (paracetamol in the United King dom) is one of three para-amino compounds still in use (5). The other two, acetanalid and phenacetin, owe their analgesic and antipyretic properties to the metabolic gen eration of acetaminophen (6 ).
