All Medicinal chemistry articles – Page 6
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ResourceOn This Day - Oct 19 : Samuel Guthrie died
He discovered chloroform (trichloromethane) by distilling chloride of lime (a mixture of calcium hydroxide, chloride and hypochlorite) with alcohol in a copper barrel. He found that this had properties that made it a mild anaesthetic, which he used in amputations.
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On This Day - Oct 15 : First contraceptive pill
The pill was a steroid hormone, norethindrone, developed by Carl Djerassi and co-workers at Syntex in Mexico City. Around 100 million women worldwide now take contraceptive pills, which are approximately 99% effective against pregnancy.
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On This Day - Oct 03 : Charles Pedersen was born
He shared the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the synthesis of crown ethers. These are a group of compounds that can “recognize” each other and choose which other molecules to form complexes, much like the behaviour of molecules found in living organisms.
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On This Day - Oct 01 : Thalidomide was marketed
This notorious drug was marketed as a mild sleeping pill that was safe even for pregnant women. It wasn’t until 1962 that the severe side effects were revealed, where it had caused the development of malformed limbs in babies.
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On This Day - Jan 11 : Thompson trialled insulin
On the verge of death, the 14 year old diabetic agreed to the trial. Insulin was first discovered by Banting, Best and Macleod in 1921, but it was Collip’s work on the purification of insulin that enabled it to be used clinically.
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Soundbite
Vancomycin
Simon Cotton takes a look at those compounds that find themselves in the news or relate to our everyday lives.
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Feature
Ruthenium compounds as anticancer agents
New ruthenium-based compounds with fewer and less severe side effects, could replace longstanding platinum-based anticancer drugs
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Feature
Radium - a key element in early cancer treatment
An early example of how blue skies research by Pierre and Marie Curie led to the treatment of previously incurable cancers
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Feature
Synthetic vaccines
The design of synthetic vaccines offers a more systematic approach to vaccine therapy for many illnesses, including cancer, and even drug addiction
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Feature
Solving an infectious problem
Joseph Lister's use of phenol as an antiseptic revolutionised surgical practice in the 19th century. But was he the first to use this antiseptic technique?
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Feature
Catalysts for a green industry
Chemists are working to develop new, longer-lasting catalysts to ensure industrial processes are cleaner, greener and more efficient
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The Mole
Kew the celebrations
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, celebrates 250 years of horticulture and science.
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Feature
Epilepsy - beyond bromide
An historical journey into the treatment of epilepsy, starting with potassium bromide 150 years ago
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The Mole
Antimalarial drugs
Approximately one million people die annually from malaria worldwide. Tragically, 90 per cent of these deaths are among the under-fives in sub-Saharan Africa, who have little if any access to adequate healthcare. Drugs are used to treat the disease but parasitic resistance to these drugs is growing, so what is the alternative?
