Main description:

Taking medication is a common occurrence for many people, whether it is to soothe an aching head, regulate blood sugars, or to treat life threatening conditions. In the UK alone, over 900 million prescriptions are dispensed every year. Overseeing all of this are pharmacists: experts in medicines and their use.

Pharmaceutical Chemistry provides a wide-ranging overview of organic chemistry as applied to the study and practice of pharmacy. Drugs are simply chemicals, so to fully understand their manufacture, formulation, and the way they work in our bodies, a knowledge of organic compounds and their reactions is essential.

By reading this book, students will begin to understand how a drug molecule is made; the process that turns it into a medicine; the role the pharmacist has when dispensing that medicine; and what happens in the body when it is taken. Most importantly, the text shows how each of these aspects are integrated, helping you to see the bigger picture.

Pharmaceutical Chemistry is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources.

The ebook offers a mobile experience and convenient access: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks.

The online resources include:

For students:
- Self-assessment questions to help the reader to check and reinforce understanding of the material introduced in each chapter
- Bonus material to accompany chapters 3, 7 and 11
- Answers to self-check questions from the book

For registered adopters of the book:
- Figures from the book, available to download.

Contents:

1: The importance of pharmaceutical chemistry
2: Organic structure and bonding
3: Stereochemistry and drug action
4: Properties of aliphatic hydrocarbons
5: Alcohols, phenols, ethers, organic halogen compounds and amines
6: The carbonyl group and its chemistry
7: Introduction to aromatic chemistry
8: Inorganic chemistry in pharmacy
9: Nucleic acids
10: Proteins and enzymes
11: Carbohydrates and carbohydrate metabolism
12: Lipids
13: Origins of drug molecules
14: Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion