Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid is a type of phenolic acid with the formula C₆H₄(OH)COOH. It is a colorless, crystalline organic acid that is widely known for its medicinal properties. Its name is derived from the Latin word for the willow tree, Salix, from which it was historically extracted. Salicylic acid is a key ingredient in many skincare products designed to treat acne, psoriasis, and warts due to its ability to exfoliate the skin and unclog pores. It is also famous as the precursor to acetylsalicylic acid, more commonly known as aspirin. In addition to its medical uses, it functions as a plant hormone, playing roles in growth, development, and defense against pathogens.

Explore searchable catalogue of hundreds of molecules, including details on how models were generated.

Notes

• If you happen to break something, use superglue to fix it. It will make the broken part even stronger.
• I decided to go with the ball-and-stick type, as it is easiest to color, is rigid, and looks awesome.
• The model represents the major resonance contributor.
• I oriented the model for optimal strength/waste/time compromise, but if you decide to reorient it, try to avoid placing bonds along the Z-axis, as they will be very easy to break.
• Supports removable without too much worry of damaging model if you are careful with scalpel and do of paper-sanding afterwards.
• You can use PETG as support material (don't forget to set the heatbed to 70 °C!) and PLA for the model itself (the support then come off much easier). For extra swag, use PLA support filament or PVA as supports.
• Recommended colorization is based on the Corey–Pauling–Koltun (CPK) palette (Figure 1). To quickly change colors, use the settings depicted in Figure 2.
  Alternatively, if you want to save filament and time, print the model in full-white and paint it with a permanent marker.

Figure 1. Recommended palette based on CPK coloring.

Figure 2. Setting to quickly color atoms with one click.

Figure 3. Filament flushing page.

Happy printing!