Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Question 1

What is a drug?

Answer 1

A substance that alters the biochemical processes of the body.

Question 2

How do most drugs work?

Answer 2

By binding pharmacaphores to receptors.

Question 3

What is the alternative way a drug can work?

Answer 3

By binding to enzymes and blocking their natural activity.

Question 4

Medicine contains?

Answer 4

Drugs and other ingredients.

Question 5

Receptors -

Answer 5

Protein molecules found on the surface of cells. They act like a biological switch which can activate or deactivate that cell.

Question 6

Pharmacaphore -

Answer 6

Part of the active molecule that binds to the receptor. It is the part of the active molecule that must have a specific shape.

Question 7

What is the active molecule?

Answer 7

Could be a molecule produced naturally by the body or a drug.

Question 8

How will pharmacaphore bind to the receptor?

Answer 8

Via hydrogen bonding

Question 9

How to draw out pharmacaphore -

Answer 9

Draw out what all molecules have in common, with open bonds if required.

Question 10

3 classifications of drugs

Answer 10

Agonist, antagonist and enzyme inhibitor.

Question 11

Agonist

Answer 11

A drug which produces a response like the body’s natural active compound.
Effectively mimics the body’s natural active compound.

Question 12

Antagonist

Answer 12

A drug which is able to bind to a cells receptor but produces no response from the cell. It will also block the active site for other agonists or natural agonists

Question 13

Enzyme inhibitors

Answer 13

Slow down some natural reactions. Bind to active site of the enzyme and blocking the reaction normally catalysed.

Question 14

What will a pharmacaphore usually look like?

Answer 14

It will have different functional groups correctly orientated with respect to one another that is complementary to the receptor or active site of an enzyme

Question 15

Parts per million equation

Answer 15

ppm = mass/volume *10^6