Pharmaceutical Chemistry Course

Lesson 1 • Acid-Base Chemistry in Pharmacy

Applies pH, pKa, and Henderson-Hasselbalch principles to drug ionisation. Connects ionisation state to absorption and formulation decisions.

Lesson 2 • Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding

Covers electron configuration, orbital theory, and bond types relevant to drug molecules. Provides the atomic-level foundation for understanding molecular behaviour.

Lesson 3 • Stereochemistry and Isomerism

Explains chirality, enantiomers, and geometric isomers in pharmaceutical contexts. Demonstrates how stereochemistry determines drug efficacy and safety.

Lesson 4 • Functional Groups in Drug Molecules

Identifies key organic functional groups and their chemical reactivity. Links group identity to drug solubility, stability, and biological activity.

Lesson 1 • Heterocyclic Ring Systems in Drugs

Surveys nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur heterocycles prevalent in approved drugs. Connects ring identity to pharmacological properties and synthetic accessibility.

Lesson 2 • Pharmacological Classification Systems

Introduces anatomical-therapeutic-chemical classification and mechanism-based grouping. Enables students to organise drugs by target, action, and clinical use.

Lesson 3 • Prodrugs and Drug Derivatives

Defines prodrug strategies and chemical derivatisation used to optimise drug properties. Shows how structural modification alters classification and naming.

Lesson 1 • Lipinski Rules and Drug-Likeness

Applies rule-of-five criteria and related filters to assess oral drug-likeness. Integrates physicochemical parameters into early drug candidate evaluation.

Lesson 2 • Lipophilicity and Membrane Permeability

Quantifies log P, log D, and their roles in passive membrane transport. Bridges physicochemical measurement to pharmacokinetic prediction.

Lesson 3 • Protein Binding and Distribution

Analyses drug-protein binding equilibria and their effect on free drug concentration. Links binding affinity to volume of distribution and therapeutic response.

Lesson 4 • Solubility and Dissolution Principles

Examines thermodynamic and kinetic factors controlling drug solubility and dissolution rate. Directly informs bioavailability prediction and formulation strategy.

Lesson 1 • Drug Excretion and Clearance

Analyses renal, biliary, and pulmonary excretion pathways and clearance calculations. Integrates ADME data to predict half-life and dosing intervals.

Lesson 2 • Phase I Metabolic Reactions

Details cytochrome P450-mediated oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis reactions. Identifies metabolic soft spots and their structural determinants.

Lesson 3 • Phase II Conjugation Reactions

Examines glucuronidation, sulfation, acetylation, and glutathione conjugation pathways. Shows how conjugation increases polarity and facilitates excretion.

Lesson 4 • Drug Distribution in the Body

Quantifies volume of distribution and tissue partitioning using compartmental models. Explains how protein binding and lipophilicity govern drug spread.

Lesson 1 • Agonists, Antagonists, and Partial Agonists

Distinguishes full agonists, partial agonists, inverse agonists, and competitive antagonists. Connects intrinsic efficacy to therapeutic and adverse effect profiles.

Lesson 2 • Enzyme Inhibition as Drug Mechanism

Analyses competitive, uncompetitive, and irreversible enzyme inhibition with kinetic parameters. Demonstrates how inhibitor design exploits active-site chemistry.

Lesson 3 • Signal Transduction and Second Messengers

Maps GPCR, ion channel, and kinase-linked receptor signalling cascades. Connects receptor activation to downstream cellular and therapeutic effects.

Lesson 4 • Receptor Theory and Drug Binding

Introduces lock-and-key, induced-fit, and conformational selection binding models. Establishes the conceptual basis for quantitative pharmacodynamic analysis.

Lesson 1 • Targeted Drug Design Strategies

Examines fragment-based, covalent, and allosteric drug design approaches. Connects design strategy selection to target biology and clinical need.

Lesson 2 • Bioisosterism and Scaffold Modification

Applies classical and non-classical bioisosteric replacements to improve drug properties. Demonstrates how scaffold changes address metabolic, toxicity, and patent issues.

Lesson 3 • Lead Discovery and Optimization

Covers hit-to-lead progression, potency optimisation, and selectivity profiling. Integrates physicochemical and pharmacokinetic constraints into design decisions.

Lesson 4 • Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships

Introduces Hansch analysis, Free-Wilson models, and 3D-QSAR methods. Enables predictive modelling of biological activity from molecular descriptors.

Lesson 1 • Spectroscopic Identification Methods

Applies UV-Vis, IR, NMR, and mass spectrometry to confirm drug structure and identity. Connects spectral interpretation to quality control decision-making.

Lesson 2 • Titrimetric and Electrochemical Methods

Applies acid-base, redox, and complexometric titrations to drug assay. Introduces potentiometry and voltammetry for electroactive pharmaceutical compounds.

Lesson 3 • Impurity Profiling and Limit Testing

Identifies organic, inorganic, and residual solvent impurities using regulatory thresholds. Applies limit tests and quantitative methods to ensure product safety.

Lesson 4 • Chromatographic Separation Techniques

Covers HPLC, GC, TLC, and ion chromatography principles and pharmaceutical applications. Establishes method selection criteria based on analyte properties.

Lesson 1 • Stability Testing and Shelf-Life Assignment

Designs ICH-aligned stability studies under accelerated and long-term conditions. Applies degradation data to assign expiry dates and storage specifications.

Lesson 2 • Regulatory Submission and Dossier Preparation

Structures chemistry, manufacturing, and controls sections of a regulatory dossier. Prepares students to compile and defend technical data for market authorisation.

Lesson 3 • Preclinical Development Requirements

Outlines pharmacology, toxicology, and ADME studies required before human trials. Connects chemical characterisation data to regulatory submission packages.

Lesson 4 • Drug Substance Characterization

Applies spectroscopic, crystallographic, and thermal methods to fully characterise active pharmaceutical ingredients. Meets regulatory expectations for structure confirmation.