Pharmaceutical Chemistry Flashcards
7 cards from real FPGEE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Pharmaceutical Chemistry flashcards as text
Which functional group is responsible for the acidic properties of aspirin?
Answer: Carboxylic acid group
The carboxylic acid (-COOH) group in aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) donates a proton, conferring its acidic properties.
The term 'prodrug' refers to a compound that:
Answer: Requires metabolic conversion to exert its effect
A prodrug is pharmacologically inactive until metabolized in the body to its active form.
Which bond type is hydrolyzed during the metabolism of ester prodrugs?
Answer: Ester bond
Esterases in plasma and tissues cleave the ester bond, releasing the active drug from an ester prodrug.
The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation is used primarily to predict:
Answer: The degree of ionization of a drug at a given pH
The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation relates pH, pKa, and the ratio of ionized to unionized drug forms.
Which class of reaction is CYP3A4-mediated hydroxylation classified as?
Answer: Phase I oxidation
CYP3A4 is a cytochrome P450 enzyme that catalyzes Phase I oxidation reactions, including aromatic and aliphatic hydroxylation.
Isomerism involving non-superimposable mirror images of a molecule is called:
Answer: Enantiomerism
Enantiomers are non-superimposable mirror images of each other, differing in the spatial arrangement around a chiral center.
Which property of a drug is most directly improved by salt formation?
Answer: Aqueous solubility
Salt formation converts a poorly water-soluble drug into an ionized form that typically has significantly greater aqueous solubility.