Chemistry for Pharmacy Students

General, Organic and Natural Product Chemistry

Lutfun Nahar, Professor Satyajit D. Sarker

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781119394488
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Industrial & Technical Chemistry

Introduces the key areas of chemistry required for all pharmacy degree courses and focuses on the properties and actions of drug molecules

This new edition provides a clear and comprehensive overview of the various areas of general, organic, and natural products chemistry (in relation to drug molecules). Structured to enhance student understanding, it places great emphasis on the applications of key theoretical aspects of chemistry required by all pharmacy and pharmaceutical science students. This second edition particularly caters for the chemistry requirements in any 'Integrated Pharmacy Curricula', where science in general is meant to be taught 'not in isolation', but together with, and as a part of, other practice and clinical elements of the course.

Chemistry for Pharmacy Students: General, Organic and Natural Product Chemistry, 2nd Edition is divided into eight chapters. It opens with an overview of the general aspects of chemistry and their importance to modern life, with emphasis on medicinal applications. The text then moves on to discuss the concepts of atomic structure and bonding and the fundamentals of stereochemistry and their significance to pharmacy in relation to drug action and toxicity. Various aspects of organic functional groups, organic reactions, heterocyclic chemistry, nucleic acids and their pharmaceutical importance are then covered in subsequent chapters, with the final chapter dealing with drug discovery and development, and natural product chemistry.

• Provides a student-friendly introduction to the main areas of chemistry required by pharmacy degree courses
• Written at a level suitable for non-chemistry students in pharmacy, but also relevant to those in life sciences, food science, and the health sciences
• Includes learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter
• Focuses on the physical properties and actions of drug molecules

Chemistry for Pharmacy Students: General, Organic and Natural Product Chemistry, 2nd Edition is an essential book for pharmacy undergraduate students, and a helpful resource for those studying other subject areas within pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical sciences, cosmetic science, food sciences, and health and life sciences.

Chapter 1
Introduction

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Learning Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to

1. describe the role of chemistry in modern life;
2. define some of the physical properties of drugs, for example, melting point, boiling point, polarity, solubility and acid‐base properties;
3. explain the terms pH, pK _a, buffer and neutralization.

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1.1 ROLE OF CHEMISTRY IN MODERN LIFE

Chemistry is the science of the composition, structure, properties and reactions of matters, especially of atomic and molecular systems.

Life itself is full of chemistry, that is, life is the reflection of a series of continuous biochemical processes. Right from the composition of the cell to the whole organism, the presence of chemistry is conspicuous. Human beings are physically constructed of chemicals, live in a plethora of chemicals and are dependent on chemicals for their quality of modern life. All living organisms are composed of numerous organic substances. Evolution of life begins from one single organic compound called a nucleotide. Nucleotides join together to form the building blocks of life. Our identities, heredities and continuation of generations, all are governed by chemistry.

In our everyday life, whatever we see, use or consume have been the gifts of research in chemistry for thousands of years. In fact, chemistry is applied everywhere in modern life. From the colour of our clothes to the shapes of our PCs, all are possible due to chemistry. It has played a major role in pharmaceutical advances, forensic science and modern agriculture. Diseases and their remedies have also been a part of human lives. Chemistry plays an important role in understanding diseases and their remedies; that is, drugs.

Medicines or drugs that we take for the treatment of various ailments are chemicals, either organic or inorganic molecules. However, most drugs are organic molecules. These molecules are either obtained from natural sources or synthesized in chemistry laboratories. Some important drug molecules are discussed here.

Aspirin, an organic molecule, is chemically known as acetyl salicylic acid and is an analgesic (relieves pain), antipyretic (reduces fever) and anti‐inflammatory (reduces swelling) drug. Studies suggest that aspirin can also reduce the risk of heart attack. It is probably the most popular and widely used analgesic drug because of its structural simplicity and low cost. Salicin is the precursor of aspirin. It is found in the willow tree bark, whose medicinal properties have been known since 1763. Aspirin was developed and synthesized in order to avoid the irritation in the stomach caused by salicylic acid, which is also a powerful analgesic, derived from salicin. In fact, salicin is hydrolysed in the gastrointestinal tract to produce D‐glucose and salicyl alcohol (see Section 8.4). Salicyl alcohol, on absorption, is oxidized to salicylic acid and other salicylates. However, aspirin can easily be synthesized from phenol using the Kolbe reaction (see Section 4.7.10.6).

Paracetamol (acetaminophen), an N‐acylated aromatic amine having an acyl group (R─CO─) substituted on nitrogen, is an important over‐the‐counter headache remedy. It is a mild analgesic and antipyretic medicine. The synthesis of paracetamol involves the reaction of p‐aminophenol and acetic anhydride (see Section 4.7.10.6).

L‐Dopa (L‐3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine), an amino acid, is a precursor of the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline), collectively known as catecholamines, and found in humans as well as in some animals and plants. It has long been used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. L‐Dopa was first isolated from the seedlings of Vicia faba (broad bean) by Marcus Guggenheim in 1913, and later it was synthesized in the lab for pharmaceutical uses.

Morphine is a naturally occurring opiate analgesic found in opium and is a st...