Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Pharmaceutical chemistry is one of the most active branches of applied chemistry, although much of the research in general chemistry and other biological and physical sciences are useful to it. Pharmaceutical chemistry concentrates on the chemical composition and properties of drugs and other medicinal substances. All of the substances that appear in the National Formulary and the U.S. Pharmacopeia are the result, at least in part, of efforts in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry.
It is impossible to underestimate the importance of this branch of chemistry to the welfare of all humans and animals. The discipline has produced innumerable substances crucial to preventative, therapeutic, and diagnostic purposes. For instance, pharmaceutical chemistry was behind the discovery that alcohol can be converted to ether, a highly effective anesthetic. Likewise, the science helped to give us lifesaving treatments from such natural substances as insulin (diabetes), penicillin (infections), thyroid (hormone-related illnesses), and digitalis (heart problems).
Pharmaceutical chemistry has historically focused on finding and isolating the active chemicals in plants (known in the industry as "raw materials" or "components"), and it continues to do so today. This trend began in 1805, when an apothecary (a latter- day pharmacist) isolated morphine, another powerful anesthetic, from opium, a derivative of the poppy plant. From that point until fairly recently, pharmaceutical chemistry was also known as plant chemistry. The field continues to be a major center of research-- particularly because experts believe that more than 97% of the world's plants remain unidentified and unexamined. This factor is what lends a sense of urgency to pharmaceutical chemistry and helps to make it such an active field of research: many species of plants are becoming extinct faster than scientists even learn of their existence, much less identify and analyze them for any possible beneficial qualities.
There are certain goals, activities, and practices that help to distinguish this branch of chemistry from the others. Although these are not exclusive to the field, they tend to occur especially in pharmaceutical chemistry. There is the most potential for exciting discovery in the isolation and identification of agents in natural sources that could, for instance, prevent cancer or cure the common cold. However, in the day-to-day world of medicinal chemistry, as it is also called, scientists frequently spend a great deal of time making artificial copies of natural medicinal agents, whether because the natural source is now unavailable or because the artificial version is more pure. They also investigate which form of an agent will be the most effective, keeping in mind how easy the formula will be to make and dispense, and ascertain whether there will be any biological or chemical incompatibilities among a certain prescription's various ingredients.
Pharmaceutical chemists also "semisynthesize" drugs, which involves changing a natural medicinal substance so that its therapeutic properties are intensified or modified in some more favorable way. In addition, since a 1906 law went into effect that made analysis of drug quality and potency a legitimate research area, pharmaceutical chemists are concerned with making sure all medications are safe, uniform, and practical in terms of their quality and dosage. In fact, the subdiscipline of pharmaceutical testing has arisen to manage and regulate the products of pharmaceutical chemistry.
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