Alka-Seltzer
effervescent antacid and pain reliever
Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent antacid and pain reliever owned by Bayer since 1978. It contains three active ingredients: aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid or ASA), sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda), and anhydrous citric acid. The aspirin is a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory, while the sodium bicarbonate is an antacid. When an Alka-Seltzer tablet is dissolved in water, the citric acid and sodium bicarbonate react to form effervescence.
Alka-Seltzer was developed by head chemist Maurice Treneer and is marketed for relief of minor aches, pains, inflammation, fever, headache, heartburn, stomach ache, indigestion, acid reflux, and hangovers while neutralizing excess stomach acid. It was launched in 1931.
Its sister product, Alka-Seltzer Plus, treats cold and flu symptoms. A wide variety of formulas, many using acetaminophen (paracetamol) instead of aspirin, are available under the sister brand.
The product can be used in amateur chemistry lessons as an example of an endothermic reaction.
Product information
Alka-Seltzer is a combination of sodium bicarbonate, aspirin, and anhydrous citric acid used for the relief of heartburn, acid indigestion, and stomach aches.
The public source identifies “Alka-Seltzer” as effervescent antacid and pain reliever. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Alka-Seltzer, effervescent and antacid.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2641370. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1978 and 1931.
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This entry incorporates text from “Alka-Seltzer” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.