Medicinal chemistry

Question 1

Achiral compound

Answer 1

compound with a superimposable mirror image

Question 2

Active ingredient

Answer 2

component of a substance or mixture that produces a chemical or biological effect

Question 3

Chiral centre

Answer 3

carbon atom in a compound attached to four unique chemical environments

Question 4

Chiral compound

Answer 4

compound with a non-superimposable mirror image

Question 5

Immiscible

Answer 5

describes a set of liquids that do not mix with each other

Question 6

Medicinal molecule

Answer 6

compound with healing properties

Question 7

Optical isomers

Answer 7

two non-superimposable mirror images of the same compound

Question 8

Racemate

Answer 8

an approximately 50/50 mixture of a chiral compound’s two optical isomers, which does not rotate polarised light in a specific direction

Question 9

Simple distillation

Answer 9

technique used to separate liquids with significantly different boiling points

Question 10

Solvent extraction

Answer 10

method of separating compounds based on a difference in solubility in two solvents

Question 11

Steam distillation

Answer 11

distillation by injection of water vapour to lower the boiling point of substances and hence minimise decomposition

Question 12

Acidic amino acid

Answer 12

amino acid with a carboxyl group in its side chain

Question 13

Active site

Answer 13

region of an enzyme where the substrate molecule binds to the enzyme and
undergoes a chemical reaction

Question 14

Basic amino acid

Answer 14

amino acid with an amino group in its side chain

Question 15

Competitive inhibitor

Answer 15

molecule that competes with the substrate for binding to an active site in an enzyme

Question 16

Denaturation

Answer 16

process where proteins lose their quaternary, tertiary and/or secondary structure due to factors such as pH and temperature change

Question 17

Deprotonation

Answer 17

loss of a proton

Question 18

Enzymes

Answer 18

proteins which catalyse chemical reactions in living systems

Question 19

Enzyme-substrate complex

Answer 19

the unit which has the substrate bound to the active site of an enzyme

Question 20

Lock-and-key model

Answer 20

theory of enzyme-substrate binding where the substrate perfectly fits the active site of the enzyme

Question 21

Optimal temperature

Answer 21

temperature at which enzyme activity is at its greatest

Question 22

Polypeptide chain

Answer 22

chain of amino acids bonded by amide links (peptide bonds)

Question 23

Primary structure

Answer 23

linear sequence of covalently bonded amino acids in a polypeptide chain

Question 24

Protonation

Answer 24

gain of a proton

Question 25

Quaternary structure

Answer 25

combination of two or more interacting tertiary chains

Question 26

Secondary structure

Answer 26

arrangement of a primary protein structure in a way that results in an α-helix or β-pleated sheet due to hydrogen bonding

Question 27

Substrate

Answer 27

molecule which an enzyme acts upon

Question 28

Tertiary structure

Answer 28

overall three-dimensional structure of a protein

Question 29

Zwitterion

Answer 29

neutral molecule that has a positively charged -NH3+ and a negatively charged −COO− on the number two carbon