Med chem

Question 1

What are alkaloids?

Answer 1

And alkaloid is a basic nitrogen-containing natural product. It excludes proteinogenic amino acids and DNA/RNA bases

Question 2

Name three alkaloids

Answer 2

Nicotine, caffeine and morphine

Question 3

Describe the role of a medicinal chemist

Answer 3

To discover novel chemical agents at exert a desired and beneficial effect on the human organism

Question 4

Why are drugs of therapeutic interest should always be considered as a possible toxin?

Answer 4

Because despite that they have very useful beneficial effects they may also have serious unwanted side-effects at different doses

Question 5

What is the therapeutic ratio?

Answer 5

It is the ratio of the maximally tolerated dose of a drug to the minimally curative or effective dose

Question 6

What is the equation for the therapeutic ratio of a drug

Answer 6

TR=Lethal Effects(50) OR Toxic Response(50) / Max Therapeutic Effect

Question 7

What is the physiological pH also known as the blood pH

Answer 7

7.35 to 7.45

Question 8

What is the pKa of a carboxylic acid

Answer 8

4.74

Question 9

What is the pKa of phenol

Answer 9

Roughly 10

Question 10

What is the pKa of an aliphatic amine

Answer 10

Roughly 10

Question 11

What is the pKa of water

Answer 11

15.74

Question 12

What is the pKa of a secondary alcohol

Answer 12

16.5

Question 13

What does pKa mean

Answer 13

The pH at 50% ionisation

Question 14

Once inside the cell, the drug must then interact with a molecular target, what are these two targets?

Answer 14

nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) or proteins (enzymes or receptors)

Question 15

How may a drug molecule bind to the binding site

Answer 15

By covalent bonds, ionic bonds, Van der Waals interactions, dipole-dipole interactions, hydrophobic interactions

Question 16

Describe an ionic interaction

Answer 16

Attractive bonding interaction between groups of opposite charges on the drug and the drug target

Question 17

Describe hydrogen bonding interactions

Answer 17

most often occurs between electron rich heteroatom (H-bond acceptors) and an electron deficient hydrogen atom (H bond donor)

Question 18

Name some typical hydrogen bond acceptors

Answer 18

Carboxylates, phosphates, alcohol, amines, carbonyls, amides, ethers, halogens, etc

Question 19

Describe VdWs interactions

Answer 19

Weak interactions which arise between hydrophobic areas of molecules.

Question 20

Describe dipole-dipole interactions

Answer 20

Due to presence of functional groups, such as carbonyls.

Question 21

A drug can be defined as…

Answer 21

A compound which interacts with a biological system to induce a biological response