Chemistry of Peels Flashcards
chemical peel
definition
- treatment technique used to improve and smooth facial and/or body skin’s texture
- using a chemical solution that causes the dead skin to slough off & eventually peel off
3 separate MoA for chemical peeling solutions
- Acidity
- Toxicity
- Metabolic interactions
All peeling agents assume to induce 3 stages of tissue replacement
- destruction
- elimination
- regeneration
- all accompanied by a controlled stage of inflammation
Acid
- compound that donates a hydrogen ion (H+) to another compound (called a base)
- Acids can occur in solid, liquid, or gaseous form, depending on the temperature
Arrhenius Acids
- substance that increases concentration of the hydronium ion, H3O+, when dissolved in water
- definition stems from the equilibrium dissociation of water into hydronium and hydroxide (OH−) ions:
- H2O(l)+H2O(l)⇌ H3O+(aq)+OH–(aq)
Arrhenius base
- molecule that increases the concentration of the hydroxide ion when dissolved in water
Brønsted Acids
- act by donating a proton to water
- differently than Arrhenius acids, can also be used to describe molecular compounds
- whereas Arrhenius acids must be ionic compounds
Brønsted–Lowry acid
- is a species that donates a proton to a Brønsted–Lowry base
example of Brønsted acid
Lewis Acids
- species that accepts a pair of electrons from another species
- in other words, it is an electron pair acceptor
- Bronsted acid-base vs Lewis reactions
- Bronsted vs Lewis acids
- Brønsted acid–base reactions are proton transfer reactions
- whereas Lewis acid–base reactions are electron pair transfers
- All Brønsted acids are also Lewis acids
- but not all Lewis acids are Brønsted acids
Reaction of acids
- Reactions of acids are often generalized in the form:
- HA ⇌ H+ + A−
- where HA represents the acid and A− is the conjugate base
- Acid–base conjugate pairs differ by one proton and can be interconverted by the addition or removal of a proton (protonation & deprotonation)
equilibrium constant K
- expression of the equilibrium concentrations of the molecules or the ions in solution
- The acid dissociation constant Ka is generally used in the context of acid–base reactions
numerical value of Ka
- numerical value of Ka is equal to the concentration of the products divided by the concentration of the reactants
- where the reactant is the acid (HA) and the products are the conjugate base and H+
more useable constant than Ka
- pKa
- pKa = −log10Ka
- Stronger acids have a smaller pKa than weaker acids
acid strength and Ka/pKa
- stronger acids have a higher K and a lower pK than weaker acids
2 parameters to be taken into consideration for peelers
- pKa, a synonym of the acid’s strength
- pH, a synonym of the penetration for the selected acid
Two key factors that contribute to the ease of deprotonation
- polarity of the H–A bond and
- size of atom A, which determines the strength of the H–A bond
Do all medical peels have pKa<3 ?
- No
- Caution is advised against simply classifying “cosmetic peels” for acids with pKa > 3 and “medical peels” for acids with pKa < 3
- because some acids like phenol can be toxic substances even with a pKa > 3
Carboxylic acids
- organic acids that contain an acidic hydroxyl group and a carbonyl (C–O bond)
Property of carboxylic acids
- can be reduced to the corresponding alcohol
- the replacement of an electronegative oxygen atom with two electropositive hydrogens yields a product that is essentially nonacidic
- reduction of acetic acid to ethanol using LiAlH4 (lithium aluminum hydride or LAH), and ether is an example of such a reaction
Difference btw monoprotic & polyprotic acids
- monoprotic acids (having one unique pKa)
- polyprotic acids (having two or more pKa)
Monoprotic acid
definition
- those acids that are able to donate one proton per molecule during the process of dissociation (sometimes called ionization), as shown below (symbolized by HA):
- HA(aq)+H2O(1) ⇌ H3O (aq)+A(aq)Ka
Examples of monoprotic organic acids
- acetic acid (CH3COOH)
- glycolic acid
- lactic acid
Polyprotic acid
definition
- are able to donate more than one proton per acid molecule
- in contrast to monoprotic acids that only donate one proton per molecule
- Specific types of polyprotic acids have more specific names, such as diprotic acid (two potential protons to donate) and triprotic acid (three potential protons to donate)
- A diprotic acid can undergo one or two dissociations depending on the pH
- Each dissociation has its own dissociation constant, Ka1 and Ka2
Diprotic acids used for peelings
- malic, tartaric, azelaic acids
2 or 3 dissociations mean that…?
- such acids can generate 2 or 3 peelings, depending on the pH, with the second one less acidic than the first one
- In this case, we consider one peeling reaction per one dissociation
triprotic acid (H3A)
definition
- acid that can undergo one, two, or three dissociations
- has 3 dissociation constants, where Ka1 > Ka2 > Ka3
organic example of a triprotic acid
- citric acid
- which can successively lose three protons to finally form the citrate ion
Buffer Solution
definition
- aqueous solution consisting of a mixture of a weak acid and its conjugate base or a weak base and its conjugate acid
property of buffer solutions
- the pH of the solution changes very little when a small amount of acid or base is added to it
- Buffer solutions are used as a means of keeping pH at a nearly constant value in a wide variety of chemical applications
example of buffer solution
blood
Le Chatelier’s Principle
Henderson–Hasselbach Equation
when the concentrations of acid and conjugate base are equal, often described as half-neutralization, pH = pKa
Buffer Capacity
- quantitative measure of the resistance of a buffer solution to pH change with the addition of hydroxide ions
Buffer capacity features
ideal buffer
- ideal buffer for a particular pH has a pKa equal to that pH
- since such a solution has maximum buffer capacity
Useful Buffer Mixtures
- Citric acid, sodium citrate, pH range 2.5 to 5.6
- Acetic acid, sodium acetate, pH range 3.7 to 5.6
Neutralization
- chemical reaction whereby an acid & a base react to form water and a salt
the timing of neutralization of chemical peeling agent is determined by…?
- frost in the skin or
- how much contact time the peel has with the skin
Neutralization is achieved by…?
- applying cold water or wet, cool towels to the face following the frost
using water just after the frost provokes…?
- an exothermic reaction that can provoke a “cold” burn
neutralization reactions are often…?
- exothermic
- giving out heat to the surroundings (the enthalpy of neutralization)
Other neutralizing agents
- bicarbonate spray or soapless cleansers
Peeling agents for which this neutralization step is less important?
- salicylic acid
- Jessner’s solution
- TCA
- phenol
partially neutralized alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) solutions
- the acid and a lesser amount of base are
combined in a reversible chemical reaction that yields unneutralized acid and a salt - resulting solution has less free acid & a higher
pH than a solution that has not been neutralized - salt functions as a reservoir of acid that is available for second-phase penetration
- This means that partially neutralized formulas can deliver as much, if not more, AHA than free acid formulas, but in a safer, “time-released” manner
advantage of partially neutralized glycolic acid solutions
- better safety profile than low-pH solutions containing only free glycolic acid
- releases glycolic acid in a safer, “time-released” manner
- stimulates fibroblast proliferation—an index of tissue regeneration
skin can be considered..?
- aqueous solution into which are dissolved a certain number of molecules
- These are molecules of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates in variable quantities and proportions