Chapter 1 : Introduction

Topics covered in this snack-sized chapter:



Medicinal Chemistry: Introduction arrow_upward


  • Medicinal Chemistry is the science that combines the principles of chemistry and pharmacology into one.
  • The subject deals with various aspects of:
    • Human biology: subfield of biological anthropology dealing with human growth and development, adaptation to environmental extremes, and human genetics.
    • Toxicology: a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms.
    • Molecular biology: the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity.
    • Computational chemistry: a branch of chemistry that uses principles of computer science to assist in solving chemical problems.
    • Organic chemistry: the chemistry discipline that is concerned with the study of compounds containing carbon that is chemically bonded to hydrogen.
    • Biochemistry: sometimes called “biological chemistry,” is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter.
    • Physical chemistry:  the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of laws and concepts of physics.
    • Design and development of pharmaceutical drugs.
  • In modern times, this particular stream of medical science has gained a lot of popularity and is practiced with renewed enthusiasm all over the world.

  • Apart from discovering and developing newer drugs, medicinal chemistry deals with:
    • Studying the relationship between the quantitative structure and the properties of existing drugs.
    • Understanding and identification of diseases along with development & application of drugs accordingly.
    • Evaluating the efficacy of the newly developed and existing drugs.
  • The major duties of a medicinal chemist are:
    • Development of drugs
    • Research and testing of drugs
    • Regulating the usage of drugs and making a prescription-only instead of over-the-counter

    Molecular Arrangement


    The Process of Medicinal Chemistry arrow_upward


  • Extremely complicated
  • The source materials which normally deal with medical chemistry include:
    • Various types of fungi
    • Plants
    • Animals
  • The experts use careful and analytical state-of-the-art techniques to manufacture various types of drugs that are used to cure a wide range of diseases.

    • Future of Medicinal Chemistry arrow_upward


  • The future looks extremely bright for medicinal chemistry for the following reasons:
    • As this stream of research deals with combinatorial chemistry along with high-end screening, it is extremely helpful for taking on more complicated diseases
    • As the basics of medicinal chemistry are based on molecular interaction of cells in proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and various other critical components of our body
    • Studying these interactions results in a better understanding of the chemistry of drugs
    • This understanding can enable chemists to design ways to mitigate the side effects of those drugs

    Area of Interest arrow_upward


  • More and more young students are finding interest in medicinal chemistry mainly due to the following reasons:
    • Various renowned universities have recently come up with high level master’s programs.
    • Many examination programs are conducted in various universities and these modules are designed such that they offer a high level of freedom when it comes to specializing on a particular discipline of medicinal chemistry.
    • The modern students and researchers have the scope to actively participate in various types of research projects of exceptional quality.
    • The modern research institutes generally work along with several ancillary research institutes as well as different high profile biotechnological companies.
  • With more and more research being carried out in the field of medicinal chemistry, there are many developments in innovating new techniques and equipment.
  • It is likely that this particular subject will gain huge popularity in the coming years.
  • Governments keep a strict vigil on the activities of the medicinal chemists such as:
    • There are various social obligations associated with the development of a drug.
    • Without strict government supervision, a boon for the society can turn into a bane.


    Thank You from Kimavi arrow_upward


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