Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry - Carboxylic Acid Derivatives

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to carboxylic acid derivatives in pharmaceutical organic chemistry.

Carboxylic Acid Derivatives

A group of compounds derived from carboxylic acids that include acyl chlorides, anhydrides, esters, amides, and nitriles.

Acyl Chloride

A carboxylic acid derivative in which the hydroxyl group (-OH) of the acid is replaced by a chlorine atom.

Acid Anhydride

A carboxylic acid derivative formed from the dehydration of two carboxylic acids.

Amide

A carboxylic acid derivative that contains a carbonyl group (C=O) bonded to a nitrogen atom.

Ester

A carboxylic acid derivative formed by the reaction of an acid with an alcohol, resulting in the formation of a carbonyl and an alkoxy group.

Nitrile

A compound containing a cyano group (-C≡N) that is formed from the reaction of carboxylic acids.

Nucleophilic Substitution

A fundamental reaction mechanism in organic chemistry where a nucleophile replaces a leaving group in a compound.

Reactivity Order of Acyl Compounds

The general order of reactivity for acyl compounds is acyl chlorides > acid anhydrides > esters > amides.

Hydrolysis of Acid Chlorides

The conversion of acid chlorides into carboxylic acids when reacted with water.

Lactams

Cyclic amides that can be classified based on the size of the ring and usually characterized by their reactivity.

Penicillin

An antibiotic that contains a lactam ring, crucial for its antibacterial activity.

DCC reagent

A coupling reagent used to activate carboxylic acids for the formation of amides.

Thionyl Chloride

A reagent used to convert alcohols or carboxylic acids to acid chlorides.

Dehydration

The process of removing water to form anhydrides from carboxylic acids.

Tetrahedral Intermediate

A transient structure formed during nucleophilic substitution reactions.