Raffaele Piria

Raffaele Piria (Scilla 20 August 1814 – Turin 18 July 1865) was an Italian chemist from Scilla, who lived in Palmi.

He converted the substance Salicin into a sugar and a second component, which on oxidation becomes salicylic acid, a major component of the analgesic drug Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).

[1] Other reactions discovered by Piria were the conversion of aspartic acid to malic acid by action of nitrogen dioxide,[2] and the reaction of aromatic nitro compounds with sulfite towards aminosulfonic acids.

[3]