Medicinal chemistry Flashcards
Achiral compound
compound with a superimposable mirror image
Active ingredient
component of a substance or mixture that produces a chemical or biological effect
Chiral centre
carbon atom in a compound attached to four unique chemical environments
Chiral compound
compound with a non-superimposable mirror image
Immiscible
describes a set of liquids that do not mix with each other
Medicinal molecule
compound with healing properties
Optical isomers
two non-superimposable mirror images of the same compound
Racemate
an approximately 50/50 mixture of a chiral compound’s two optical isomers, which does not rotate polarised light in a specific direction
Simple distillation
technique used to separate liquids with significantly different boiling points
Solvent extraction
method of separating compounds based on a difference in solubility in two solvents
Steam distillation
distillation by injection of water vapour to lower the boiling point of substances and hence minimise decomposition
Acidic amino acid
amino acid with a carboxyl group in its side chain
Active site
region of an enzyme where the substrate molecule binds to the enzyme and
undergoes a chemical reaction
Basic amino acid
amino acid with an amino group in its side chain
Competitive inhibitor
molecule that competes with the substrate for binding to an active site in an enzyme
Denaturation
process where proteins lose their quaternary, tertiary and/or secondary structure due to factors such as pH and temperature change
Deprotonation
loss of a proton
Enzymes
proteins which catalyse chemical reactions in living systems
Enzyme-substrate complex
the unit which has the substrate bound to the active site of an enzyme
Lock-and-key model
theory of enzyme-substrate binding where the substrate perfectly fits the active site of the enzyme
Optimal temperature
temperature at which enzyme activity is at its greatest
Polypeptide chain
chain of amino acids bonded by amide links (peptide bonds)
Primary structure
linear sequence of covalently bonded amino acids in a polypeptide chain
Protonation
gain of a proton
Quaternary structure
combination of two or more interacting tertiary chains
Secondary structure
arrangement of a primary protein structure in a way that results in an α-helix or β-pleated sheet due to hydrogen bonding
Substrate
molecule which an enzyme acts upon
Tertiary structure
overall three-dimensional structure of a protein
Zwitterion
neutral molecule that has a positively charged -NH3+ and a negatively charged −COO− on the number two carbon
