Medicinal Organic Chemistry - Vocabulary Flashcards

A comprehensive vocabulary review set covering key definitions, theories, physicochemical properties, drug metabolism, and antimicrobial concepts from Medicinal Organic Chemistry.

Medicinal Chemistry

The science that incorporates different branches of chemistry and biology for the research, discovery, and design of new and improved therapeutic chemicals, as well as the development of these chemicals into new medicines and drugs.

Drug

Any substance intended for the prevention, diagnosis, cure, mitigation, or treatment of symptoms of a disease or abnormal condition, or to affect or alter the structure or function of the body of man or animals.

Chemotherapeutic Agents

Drugs categorized by medicinal use that specifically function to fight malignant cells or tissues.

Pharmacodynamic Agents

Drugs categorized by medicinal use that act directly on various physiological functions of the body.

Non-infectious Diseases

Disorders of the human body caused by genetic malfunction, environmental factors, stress, or old age (e.g., antihypertensives, lipid-lowering agents).

Receptor

A protein molecule in which various chemical compounds are bound and produce a pharmacological response.

Receptor Hypothesis

A concept proposed by Paul Ehrlich stating that side chains on cell surfaces are complementary to dyes, establishing the foundation for selective toxicity.

Lock and Key Theory

A drug-receptor theory stating that the substrate is completely complementary in shape to the active site, fitting into it perfectly.

Induced Fit Theory

A theory proposing that the substrate and active site are not initially complementary, but the enzyme conforms to the shape of the substrate upon binding.

Hypothesis of Clark

A theory stating that the pharmacologic effect of a drug depends on the percentage of receptors occupied, reaching maximum effect when all receptors are occupied.

Hypothesis of Ariens and Stephenson

A drug-receptor theory stating that the effectiveness of a drug lasts as long as the receptor is occupied.

Hypothesis of Paton

A drug-receptor theory proposing that the effectiveness of a drug depends on obtaining a proper stimulus rather than the actual occupation of the receptor.

Hypothesis of Baker

A theory describing active-site-directed irreversible inhibition via covalent bond formation between the receptor and ligand.

Eason-Steadman Hypothesis

A hypothesis stating that the more potent enantiomer must participate in a three-point fit interaction with the drug binding site of the receptor.

Partition Coefficient ($P$)

The ratio of drug concentration in octanol to drug concentration in water at equilibrium, used to describe lipophilicity. A value of $\text{Log } P = 0$ indicates equal amounts, $>0$ indicates higher lipid solubility, and $<0$ indicates higher water solubility.

Biotransformation

Also known as hepatic metabolism or drug metabolism; the chemical process where the body modifies a drug into smaller, more water-soluble compounds called metabolites.

Prodrug

A chemically modified, inert precursor of a drug that, upon biotransformation in vivo, liberates the pharmacologically active parent compound.

Phase I Metabolism

Functionalization reactions (hydrolysis, oxidation, reduction) that unmask or introduce a polar functional group to increase compound polarity and facilitate excretion.

Phase II Metabolism

Conjugation reactions that convert Phase I metabolites into water-soluble products by attaching small, polar, ionizable endogenous molecules.

Pharmacophore

The molecular framework defining the essential components responsible for the biological activity of a drug compound.

Bioisosteres

Atoms or chemical groups that possess nearly equal molecular shape and volume, similar electron distribution, and yield similar biological properties.

Privileged Scaffolds

Core molecular frameworks capable of binding to multiple biological targets, serving as versatile starting points for drug design.

Antiseptic

A chemical agent that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms when applied directly to living tissue.

Disinfectant

An agent used for the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate objects.

Phenol Coefficient

The ratio of the dilution of a test disinfectant to the dilution of phenol required to kill a strain of Salmonella typhi under standard conditions.

Iodophors

Topical anti-infective complexes formed by combining iodine with non-ionic surfactants.

6-Aminopenicillanic Acid (6-APA)

The essential structural core nucleus of penicillins, composed of a four-membered beta-lactam ring fused to a sulfur-containing thiazolidine ring.

7-Aminocephalosporanic Acid (7-ACA)

The core chemical nucleus present in all cephalosporin antibiotics.

Monobactams

A class of beta-lactam antibiotics (e.g., aztreonam) in which the four-membered beta-lactam ring is standalone and not fused to an adjacent ring.

Carbapenems

Beta-lactam antibiotics in which the sulfur atom of the thiazolidine ring is externalized and replaced by a carbon atom.