Medicinal Chemistry Fundamentals Quiz

Fundamentals of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

• This topic covers moles, chemical equations, and reactions, specifically within the context of physiological solutions.
• Recommended reading materials include "General Chemistry - The Essential Concepts" by Chang and Goldsby 7e, focusing on sections related to atomic structure, chemical formulas, atomic mass, Avogadro's number, molecular mass, chemical reactions, equations, general properties of aqueous solutions, concentration of solutions.

FUNCHEM 4 Learning Outcomes

• Define key terms: molecule, molecular formula, molecular mass, mole, Avogadro's number.
• Master calculations involving moles.
• Demonstrate the balancing of chemical equations.
• Define solutions and relate them to body systems like blood plasma, intracellular and extracellular fluids.
• Apply the knowledge of solutions to medical applications.
• Recall and calculate percentage (w/v%, w/w%, mg%) and molar concentrations (ppm).

What is an Atom?

• An atom is the fundamental unit of an element.
• Atoms combine to form chemical compounds.
• Atoms comprise electrons, protons, and neutrons.
• Atoms are the smallest unit capable of participating in chemical reactions.

What are Molecules?

• A molecule is a collection of two or more atoms.
• Molecules can be formed from the same element or different elements.
• Diatomic molecules comprise two atoms.
• Polyatomic molecules comprise more than two atoms.
• Molecules are held together by chemical bonds.

Molecular Formula

• A molecular formula precisely denotes the number of atoms of each element present in a molecule, like glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆).

Atomic Mass

• Atomic mass represents the mass of an atom.
• It's expressed in atomic mass units (amu) or atomic mass units (u).
• Weighted average of different isotopes' atomic mass.
• Carbon-12 is the reference isotope.

Molecular Mass (Molecular Weight)

• Molecular mass is a sum of individual atomic masses within a molecule.
• It's measured in atomic mass units (amu).
• Molecular mass and molar mass are numerically equal but have distinct units.

Chemical Reactions

• Chemical reactions alter substances into new ones by breaking and forming chemical bonds.
• Chemical equations represent chemical reactions by using chemical symbols.
• Balancing equations ensures equal atoms.

'Recipe' to make glucose

• The balanced equation for glucose synthesis from carbon dioxide and water is represented as 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂, using sunlight.

How to measure quantities

• Relating mass to the number of atoms/molecules using the mole is necessary.
• Avogadro's number (6.022 x 10²³) relates moles to the number of atoms/molecules.

The Mole

• The mole (mol) is a unit to count the number of particles. It's analogous to a dozen.
• 1 mol of any substance contains the same number of particles as 12 grams of Carbon-12.

Molar Mass

• A mole of a substance will always have the molecular weight of the substance in grams/mol.
• Moles is equal to mass divided by molar mass.

Balancing Chemical Equations

• Proper balancing assures the same number of each atom type on both sides of a chemical equation.
• A systematic method is required to ensure the correct equation is reached.

Examples

• Illustrative examples demonstrate balancing equations, using appropriate coefficients.

Calculating Reactant/Product Amounts

• Sequential steps for deriving necessary calculations to ascertain product or reactant amounts from balanced chemical reactions.

What is a Solution?

• A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more elements.
• Two parts make up a solution, the solute and solvent.
• Solutes are present in a smaller amount and dissolved in a solvent, which is present in a greater amount.

Solution - Concentration

• Concentration expresses the solute's amount in a given amount of solvent or solution.
• Dilute solutions contain a small amount of solute; concentrated solutions contain a large amount of solute.

Concentration methods

• Percentage concentration (w/v, w/w);
• Molar concentration (molarity);
• Parts per million (ppm), etc.

Intravenous Drip

• IV therapy involves injecting substances directly into a vein.
• Situations demanding IV solutions include patients who cannot swallow, require fast concentration of medications, poor gastrointestinal absorption.
• The composition of fluids utilized in IV drips usually isotonic with blood plasma.

Example: Severe Dehydration

• Injecting water directly into the body in cases of severe dehydration might cause red blood cells to swell and burst (hemolysis).
• To prevent this, solutions used must be isotonic with blood plasma to avoid problems.

Milligram percent

• A unit of percentage concentration, useful for expressing compounds like urea in blood.
• It involves converting the amount to milligrams.

Parts per million (ppm)

• ppm expresses extremely low levels of solute in a solution.
• Relevant for trace elements in water or medications.

Molarity

• Molarity explicitly defines the concentration of a solution.
• It's determined by using the moles per litre of solution.

In Conclusion

• Key concepts: physiological solutions (like 5% glucose, 0.9% saline), moles, Avogadro's number, balancing chemical equations, different concentrations (percentage and molar).
• Practical applications, particularly to IV solutions and patient care, are shown.

Test your knowledge on the fundamentals of medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry, including moles, chemical reactions, and solutions as related to physiology. This quiz is based on essential concepts from 'General Chemistry - The Essential Concepts' by Chang and Goldsby, focusing on the definition of key terms and calculations involving moles.