Week 19 - Amines, Amino Acids & Nucleosides Quiz

A type of drug that works by preventing the synthesis of prostaglandins, which are chemicals that cause pain and inflammation. It is often used to treat pain and fever.

A potent opioid drug that binds to opioid receptors in the central nervous system (CNS) and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blocking nerve impulses that signal pain. It is used for severe pain relief.

Substances that cause fever. Aspirin can inhibit their release.

The process of converting natural chemicals into morphine. Morphine is a naturally-occurring substance found in poppy plants.

Specific locations where drugs like morphine bind to exert their effects. These locations are often found in the brain and the central nervous system.

The action of morphine to block the transmission of nerve impulses that signal pain. This can lead to decreased pain perception.

Chemicals produced naturally within the body that have pain-relieving and mood-regulating effects. They are similar to morphine in their actions.

The unintended and potentially problematic effects of a drug, such as sleepiness, drowsiness, or euphoria. These are often associated with the use of drugs like morphine.

Amines are organic compounds with nitrogen atoms featuring a lone pair of electrons. This makes them highly polar and able to form hydrogen bonds. These attributes give them high boiling points and contribute to drug-receptor interactions. Their nucleophilic character makes them reactive in various chemical processes.

Amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, consist of three main components: a basic amino group (-NH2), an acidic carboxyl group (-CO2H) and a variable side chain (R). These side chains can differ in their chemical characteristics, resulting in a diverse array of amino acids with unique properties.

Twenty amino acids are considered essential for protein synthesis. Humans can produce eleven of these, while the remaining nine must be obtained from the diet. Understanding the essential amino acids means understanding the building blocks needed for protein synthesis in our bodies.

Nucleosides are fundamental building blocks of DNA and RNA. These molecules consist of a nitrogenous base (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine in DNA, or uracil in RNA) linked to a five-carbon sugar. They are essential for storing and transmitting genetic information in living organisms.

Alkaloids are nitrogen-containing natural products found in plants. Many alkaloids are used as anesthetics, antidepressants, and stimulants. They exhibit potent biological effects due to their specific chemical structures and interactions with the human body.

Amines can be classified based on the number of carbon atoms attached to the nitrogen atom. Primary amines have one carbon attached, secondary amines have two, and tertiary amines have three carbon atoms bonded to the nitrogen.

Amines form hydrogen bonds with water molecules, making them soluble in water. This property is particularly important for drug molecules as it influences their ability to dissolve and distribute within the body.

The basicity of an amine is determined by the availability of the nitrogen atom's lone pair of electrons. This lone pair can accept a proton, resulting in the formation of a positively charged ammonium ion. The ability of an amine to act as a base is essential for its many biological functions.

A nitrogen atom with four attached groups, carrying a positive charge. All substituents are alkyl or aryl groups, forming quaternary ammonium salts.

Amines where the nitrogen atom is part of a ring structure. Each ring system has a specific parent name.

Nitrogen in amines is sp3 hybridized, with a lone pair in an sp3 orbital, resulting in tetrahedral geometry. The three groups and lone pair create a trigonal pyramidal shape.

The angle between the C-N bond and the bisector of the H-N-H angle, used to describe the geometry at the nitrogen atom.

A chiral amine would have three different substituents attached to nitrogen. However, pyramidal inversion causes rapid interconversion of enantiomers, preventing resolution.

Quaternary ammonium ions cannot undergo pyramidal inversion, making it possible to resolve their salts into enantiomers.

Amines can form hydrogen bonds, but the N-H bond is less polar than O-H, leading to weaker hydrogen bonding.

The lone pair on nitrogen makes amines basic and nucleophilic. They react with acids to form salts and with electrophiles.

Amine salts are ionic and water-soluble, often preferred for drug administration due to their solubility in body fluids.

Cocaine is an example of an amine drug, sold as the hydrochloride salt (more soluble) or the free amine form ('crack' cocaine).

Amine salts are ionic solids with high melting points, soluble in water, odorless, and stable. They can be reversibly converted to the free amine, which might have an odor and be less stable.

Amines are classified as primary (RNH2), secondary (R2NH), or tertiary (R3N) based on the number of alkyl or aryl groups attached to the nitrogen.

Alkyl-substituted amines have alkyl groups attached to the nitrogen. Arylamines have aryl groups attached to the nitrogen.

The lone pair on nitrogen makes amines basic and nucleophilic. They react with acids to form salts and with electrophiles. The nitrogen atom in amines is sp3 hybridized with a lone pair of electrons in an sp3 orbital, giving rise to a trigonal pyramidal geometry.

Amines are organic compounds containing a nitrogen atom with one or more alkyl or aryl groups attached. They are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary based on the number of groups attached to the nitrogen.

The lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom in amines makes them basic and nucleophilic. This means they can react with acids to form salts, and with electrophiles.

The basicity of an amine is determined by its ability to accept a proton (H+). Amines are generally weak bases, but they are stronger bases than alcohols, ethers, or water.

The acidity of the corresponding ammonium ion (conjugate acid) is often used to indicate the basicity of an amine. The higher the pKa of the ammonium ion, the weaker the acid, and the stronger the conjugate base (the amine).

Alkyl groups attached to the nitrogen atom in an amine can donate electrons, making the amine more basic. However, steric hindrance from too many bulky alkyl groups can decrease basicity.

Hydrogen bonding between the nitrogen atom in an amine and water molecules can stabilize the amine and increase its basicity. However, steric hindrance can prevent effective hydrogen bonding.

Amines react with acids to form salts. These salts are often more soluble in water than the free amine, which can be important for drug delivery.

Sulfa drugs, also known as sulfonamides, are a class of antibacterial agents that work by inhibiting the synthesis of folic acid in bacteria. This selective inhibition is possible because humans obtain folic acid from their diet, while bacteria synthesize it. Sulfa drugs have traditionally been used to treat bacterial infections like urinary tract infections (UTIs), but newer and more effective agents are now available.

Folic acid is a vital vitamin for both humans and bacteria. Humans obtain folic acid from their diet, while bacteria synthesize it. This difference in how folic acid is acquired makes it a target for selective antibacterial drugs like sulfa drugs.

Sulfa drugs are structurally similar to PABA, a precursor to folic acid. This similarity allows the drugs to bind to the bacterial enzyme that converts PABA to folic acid. This binding inhibits the enzyme's activity, preventing the bacteria from producing folic acid.

The difference in the way humans and bacteria acquire folic acid (humans obtain it from diet, bacteria synthesize it) makes folic acid synthesis a target for selective antibacterial drugs like sulfa drugs.

Sulfa drugs have been used to treat a variety of bacterial infections. However, newer and more effective antibiotics have been developed, limiting the use of sulfa drugs. Many sulfonamides are also known to have diuretic activity.

Amines with alkyl groups attached to nitrogen.

Amines with aryl groups attached to nitrogen.