Drug Detection and Analysis Flashcards
purpose of drug detection and analysis
to make sure the drug has the correct compounds with no impurities to maximise its medicinal effect
what is liquid-liquid extraction?
where two solvents, 1 polar and 1 nonpolar, are used together to separate components of the mixture using solubility
what equipment is needed for extraction?
separatory funnel
why is purification of a drug required?
active medicinal compound must not contain any impurities that might interfere with its action or cause other toxic effects
how does fractional distillation work?
gently heating mixtures so that each component of the mixture boils and evaporates from lowest to highest boiling point
raoult’s law
rate of evaporation is equal to the rate of condensation in a dynamic equilibrium
describe the vapour pressure of a liquid-liquid extraction
ratio of the vapour pressures of each gas of the mixture is relative to the vapour pressure of each gas and the mole ratio of each gas
the use of infrared spectroscopy in drug analysis
energy absorbed for the bending and stretching off covalent bonds is helpful in identifying bonds present in the molecule, thus identifying particular functional groups for organic molecules
the use of mass spectrometry in drug analysis
fragments from charing/accelrating a molecule are detected by the mass-to-charge ratio (m/e or m/z), piecing together the different components of the compound
use of HNMR in drug analysis
uses a strong magnetic field to influence the spin of protons and neutrons inside the nucleus of atoms
how is alcohol detected through a breathalyser?
through measuring mass of ethanol per litre of breath
redox breathalysers
uses a redox reaction to measure the concentration of ethanol, based on the oxidation of the alcohol
fuel cell breathalysers
uses a redox reaction and fuel cell technology - breathalysers use platinum electrodes to oxidize ethanol from exhaled breath into ethanoic acid while reducing oxygen, producing an electric current correlated with blood alcohol content
what are steroids?
chemical substances that are naturally produced in the body and perform a variety of functions in growth and development
chromatography
the process of separating components of a mixture
