Search Results for: thalidomide

Thalidomide

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Thalidomide was a racemic therapeutic and prescribed to pregnant women to control nausea and vomiting. The drug was withdrawn from world market when it became evident that the use in pregnancy causes phocomelia (clinical conditions where babies are born with deformed hand and limbs). Later in late 1970s, the thalidomide enantiomers were separated and enantioselective studies indicated that the (R)- enantiomer, the good partner, is an effective sedative, the (S)-enantiomer, the evil partner, harbors teratogenic …

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Thalidomide tragedy: the story and lessons …

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In the 1940s and early 1950s, pregnant women throughout the world who experienced morning sickness and other anxieties associated with the first term of pregnancy were given barbiturate sedatives for relief. The issue with these barbiturates, like most sedatives, was the fact that they were highly toxic in large doses. In 1957, Chemie Grunenthal of Germany launched thalidomide as a safer alternative to barbiturate sedatives. Thalidomide, as a new sedative, was a very “attractive” drug …

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Asymmetric Synthesis in Industry: From Lab to Market

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Introduction Asymmetric synthesis is a cornerstone of industrial chemistry, enabling the production of enantiomerically pure compounds that are essential in various sectors. Its importance lies in the ability to produce specific enantiomers that exhibit desired biological activities or material properties. Asymmetric synthesis is the process of turning a non-chiral starting material into a chiral product. This blog explores the industrial applications of chiral asymmetric synthesis, highlighting its critical role in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, fine chemicals, and …

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Understanding the Fundamentals of Asymmetric Synthesis

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Introduction Chirality is a fundamental concept in chemistry that plays a crucial role in the structure and function of molecules. Derived from the Greek word for “hand,” chirality refers to the geometric property of a molecule that makes it non-superimposable on its mirror image. This characteristic is significant in various fields, including pharmaceuticals, where the spatial arrangement of atoms within a molecule can drastically affect its biological activity. Basic Concepts Stereoisomerism and Chirality Chirality is …

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Chirality in Pharmaceuticals: The Impact of Molecular Handedness on Medicine

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Lead Chirality, the property of molecules having non-superimposable mirror images, plays a crucial role in pharmaceuticals. These molecules, referred to as enantiomers, chiral twins, mirror-image, or handed molecules, are crucial in drug design and effectiveness. A significant proportion of chiral drugs on the market are available as racemic mixture. The handedness of these molecules can lead to significantly different biological activities and therapeutic outcomes. This blog delves into the importance of chirality in drug design …

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Molecular Handedness: How Chirality Shapes Molecules

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Introduction Molecules can come in two shapes that mirror each other, in the same way as our left and right hands. This attribute, called chirality, can be found in biological molecules like sugars and proteins This property, often referred to as molecular handedness, plays a crucial role in chemistry, biology, and pharmacology. In this article, we will explore the basics of chirality, examine examples of chiral and achiral molecules, and delve into the methods used to …

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Introduction to Chirality: Understanding the Basics

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Lead Chirality, derived from the Greek word “cheir” meaning hand, is a fundamental concept in chemistry that describes an object’s property of being non-superimposable on its mirror image. This property is not just an abstract mathematical idea but has profound implications in various scientific fields, particularly chemistry and biology. Understanding chirality is essential for comprehending molecular interactions and their impacts on our daily lives. This first of this blog series delves into the definition, historical …

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Rediscovery of stereochemistry

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Stereochemistry, in particular chirality, is known to us as early as 1809, when Malus, Arago and Biot discovered plane polarized light and its characteristics. It is observed that during 1950s to the 1970s, the “Golden Age” of drug discovery & development, stereochemistry was largely ignored resulting in approximately 57% of pharmaceuticals being marketed as racemates by the 1980s. Before going further let us examine the stereospecific awareness level that existed during 1980s’. Stereospecific Awareness level  …

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Naming enantiomers: the left-(or right-) handed?

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Enantiomers are pair of molecules that exist in two forms that are mirror images of one another but cannot be superimposed one upon the other.  They are also referred to by chemists as chiral twins or handed molecules. Each twin is called an enantiomer. Naming of enantiomers is important to understand ‘which structure refers to which enantiomer?’. The chirality of organic molecules is described by the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog (CIP) system. This system is also referred to as the R/S convention …

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 Separating mirrored molecules  

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In nature, most chiral molecules only appear in one specific enantiomeric form. [Read more @ the blog – “The handed world“, https://chiralpedia.com/blog/the-handed-world/]. Moreover, the handedness of the enantiomer can have a powerful effect on how that molecule behaves.  The chiral difference between two molecules often plays a huge role in pharmacology and physiology, even though the two seem nearly identical but are not really in a bioenvironment, which is chiral. [Read more @ the blog …

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