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Pharmaceutical Chemistry Flashcards

7 cards from real Pharmacy practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Which metabolic pathway is responsible for the conversion of codeine to morphine in the body?

    Answer: O-demethylation by CYP2D6

    CYP2D6 catalyzes O-demethylation of codeine at the 3-methoxy position, converting it to the more pharmacologically active morphine.

  2. The Maillard reaction in pharmaceutical formulations refers to:

    Answer: Non-enzymatic browning reaction between reducing sugars and amines

    The Maillard reaction is a non-enzymatic condensation between reducing sugars (excipients like lactose) and primary amines in drug molecules, causing discoloration and potency loss.

  3. Which property of a drug is described by its logP value?

    Answer: Lipophilicity (partition between octanol and water)

    LogP (octanol-water partition coefficient) quantifies lipophilicity; a higher logP indicates greater lipid solubility and typically better membrane permeability.

  4. Sulfonamide antibiotics act by competitively inhibiting the bacterial enzyme that uses which substrate?

    Answer: Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)

    Sulfonamides structurally mimic PABA and competitively inhibit dihydropteroate synthase, blocking bacterial folate synthesis.

  5. In NMR spectroscopy, the chemical shift (δ) of a proton is primarily influenced by:

    Answer: The electron density around the proton (shielding/deshielding)

    Electron-withdrawing groups deshield nearby protons (downfield shift, higher δ) while electron-donating groups increase shielding (upfield shift, lower δ).

  6. What is the significance of the 'rule of five' (Lipinski's rule) in drug design?

    Answer: Predicts whether a compound will have good oral bioavailability based on MW, logP, H-bond donors, and acceptors

    Lipinski's rule of five states that orally bioavailable drugs typically have MW ≤500, logP ≤5, ≤5 H-bond donors, and ≤10 H-bond acceptors.

  7. Warfarin exerts its anticoagulant effect by inhibiting:

    Answer: Vitamin K epoxide reductase, preventing regeneration of active Vitamin K

    Warfarin inhibits vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR), depleting reduced vitamin K needed as a cofactor for synthesis of clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X.