DRUGS and

MEDICINES
By Dr Vipan Goyal
 Drugs and Medicines
• Drug, also called medicine, is a chemical substance used to cure,
prevent, or diagnose a disease

Chemotherapy
• Use of chemical substances for the treatment of a disease is termed
as chemotherapy.
 Some Important Classes of Drugs
• Tranquilizers are the chemicals used to relieve stress, mental
tension, anxiety. These form a major component of the sleeping
pills.
• Most of these drugs are derivatives of barbituric acid.
• Examples: Luminal, equanil, iproniazid, barbiturate.
• Analgesics: These are the drugs used to reduce or abolish pain
without causing the loss of consciousness, paralysis and some other
disturbances.
• For example- Asprin, Analgin, Paracitamol.
 Analgesics
• Analgesics are of two types:
 (i) Narcotics: These drugs relieve pain but also produce sleep or
drowsiness.
 These are habit forming drugs and are also termed as addictive
drugs. For example: Morphine, codeine, heroin.
 (ii) Non-narcotics: These are non-habit forming drugs also
named as non-addictive drugs.
 These are used to reduce mild to moderate pains such as
headache, toothache, muscle and joint pain, etc. These drugs do
not produce drowsiness. For example: Aspirin, paracetamol.
 Some Important Classes of Drugs
• Antiseptics: These are the chemicals which are used to kill or to prevent
the growth of microorganisms without affecting the living human tissues.
• For example: Dettol (chloroxylenol + terpineol), Bithional, tincture of
iodine, iodoform, Boric acid ( antiseptic for eyes), hydrogen peroxide.
• Disinfectants: These are the antimicrobial agents that are applied to the
surface of non-living objects to destroy microorganisms that are living on
the objects.
• For example: 0.2% solution of phenol act as a disinfectant. Pottassium
Permanganate (KMnO4), Cl2 are also used as disinfectant.
 Some Important Classes of Drugs
• Antibiotics: These are the chemical substances produces from microorganisms
and are used to kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms. For example-
Penicillin, Tetracycline, Ampicillin.
• Sulpha drugs : Alternatives of antibiotics, sulphanilamide, sulphadiazine, sulpha
gunamidine.
• Antipyretic: They are used to lower the body temperature in case of high fever.
For example: Aspirin, paracetamol, phenacetin.
• Antifertility Drugs: These drugs are used to control birth and population.
• These drugs are esentially a mixture of synthetic estrogen and progesterons
derivatives which are more potent than the natural hormones. For example:
Mala D, Norethindrone, Novestrol.
 Some Important Classes of Drugs
• Antacid: The chemical substances which neutralize the excess acid in
stomach and give relief from acidity are called antacids. For example:
Sodium hydrogencarbonate (NaHCO3), magnesium hydroxide [Mg(OH)2]
and aluminium hydroxide [Al(OH)3].
• Antihistamine: Also known as the anti-allergic drug, It suppresses the
action of histamine (a compound released by cells in response to injury or
any allergic and inflammatory reactions). For example: Terfinadine,
Cimetidine.
• Antidote : Medicines used against a poison or to prevent a disease from
having effect.
• Antimalarial : Used to treat malaria, quinine derivatives e.g. Chlovoquine
• Artificial Preservatives: These prevent spoilage of food by stopping
the growth of microorganism. For example, Sodium benzoate is
used in soft drinks and acidic foods,
• Sodium/Pottassium meta bisulphate (Na2S2O5) used in jams,
squashes and pickels.
• In cheese, baked foods, pickles and meat sorbic acid and its salts
are used as preservatives.
• Epoxides and ethyl formates are used for the preservation of
species nuts and dried fruits.
• Artificial Sweetness: These do not impart any calories to the body. Since these
substances are excreted through urine. For example,
• Saccharin : A sweetish crystalline solid which is 550 times sweeter than sugar,
but does not have any food value. It is used by diabetic patients. It is the first
discovered artificial sweetner.
 Aspartame: It is used in cool drinks and ice-creams. It is also known as
nutra sweet.
 Alitame: It is 2000 times sweeter than sucrose.
 Sucralose : It is a zero calorie sugar.
 Cyclamate : It is 20 times sweeter than canesugar.
 Dulcin : It is 25 times sweeter than canesugar.
• Antioxidants: These prevent the spoilage of food by preventing the
oxidation of food. For example,
 Butylated hydroxyl tolerance (BHT)
 Butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA)
• Vitamin C is present in Fruits and vegetables.
• Vitamin E is present in vegetable oils.
• Carotenoids is present in Fruits and vegetables.
• Polyphenolic antioxidants is present in Tea, coffee, soyabean, red wine,
choclates etc.
• Sulphur dioxide and suphite are useful antioxidants for wine and beers
sugar syrups, peeled fruits.
 Edible colours
• It inreases the eye appeal.
• It may be either of natural or synthetic origin.
• Azo dyes are used as synthetic edible colors.
• However, these are harmful for young children and asthma patients.
• The most important synthetic dye is tetrazine but its use is banned now.
• The common natural colors are chlorophyll (green colors from leaves),
saffron (prepared from flowers), caramel (obtained by heating sugars),
turmeric (obtained from dried and ground root of ginger)
• The otherwise synthetic color used in food are amarnath ( red brown
powder with saline taste), indigo carmine (blue) etc.
 Chemistry of Cleansing Agents
in Everyday Life
What are Soaps and Detergents?
• Soaps are sodium or potassium salt of higher carboxylic acid such as
stearic acid, Palmitic acid and oleic acid whereas detergents contain
a long chain of alkyl groups. Detergents in comparison to soaps can
also function in hard water.
• Saponification: Alkaline hydrolysis of triesters of glycerol to form
soap is known as saponification. Soaps do not function in hard
water since they precipitate in it.
 How do soaps work?
• Soaps are generally sodium or potassium salts of long chain fatty
acids. Soap molecules have a hydrophobic as well as hydrophilic
part.
• While the hydrophilic part clings to the water when washing, the
hydrophobic end clings to the dirt particles.
• Thus when we pour away the water, the dirt particles wash away
with the soap molecules.
 Types of Soaps
• Toilet Soaps: Potassium soaps are softer than sodium soaps.
• Floating Soaps: These can be prepared by beating soap bubbles.
• Transparent Soaps: These contains soap dissolved in excess of
alcohol and it is evaporated.
• Medicated Soaps: These contain soaps by adding little amounts of
Dettol, Savlon etc.
• Laundry Soaps mainly contains Sodium rosinate, borax.
 Types of Detergents
• Anionic Detergent: In this, anion acts as detergents. For
example, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate
• Cationic Detergents: In this type, cation
acts as a detergent. For example,
Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide
• Non-Ionic Detergents: These are neutral. The whole molecule acts
as a detergent. For example, Polyethylene glycol stearate.
 Chemistry of Cosmetics in Everyday life
Cosmetics contains the following categories of chemicals.
• Emulsifier: These increase the stability of the emulsion.
For example, Potassium cetyl sulfate.
• Preservatives: These are added to cosmetics to increase their shelf
life.
For example, benzyl alcohol, salicylic acid.
 Chemistry of Cosmetics in Everyday life
• Thickeners: These given an appealing consistency. For example,
Cetyl alcohol, Stearic acid.
• Emollient: These soften the skin by preventing water loss. For
example, Glycerine, zinc oxide.
• Glimmer and Shiners: For example, mica, bismuth oxychloride.
 Other Examples of Chemistry in Everyday Life

The Expiration Date on Bottled Drinking Water:

• The idea behind instilling an expiration on bottled drinking
water is to standardize the packaging quality of it.
• What the actual expiration date signifies is if the expiration
date is up, the taste of the water will be different as there is a
chance of the chemicals in the packaging material ruining the
quality of water.
 Other Examples of Chemistry in Everyday Life
Elements in the Human Body:
• We all know our body is about 60% water.
• Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Oxygen compose 96% of the
human body.
• Whereas the rest 4% is composed of about 60 elements.
• Some of these elements include calcium, phosphorus, potassium,
and sulfur.
Elements in the Human Body
 Other Examples of Chemistry in Everyday Life
Sunblock and Sunscreen:
• There are two kinds of rays from the sun which are particularly bad
for us, UV-A & UV-B.
• Sunscreens action is as the named suggest, it functions as a screen
and offers protection from sunburns which is caused by UV-B.
• Whereas sunblock has more of reflective nature and blocks both
UV-A & UV-B radiations.
 Agricultural Chemistry
• Insecticides : DDT ( Dicholoro Diphenyl Trichloro ethane),
Aluminium Phosphate, Gammexine.
• Fungicide : Thiram, Bordeaux mixture CaSo4.5H2O + Ca (OH)2
• Rodenticides : Aluminium Phosphide, Zinc Phosphide
• Herbicides : Benzipram, Benzadox, 2, 4 dichlorophenoxyacetic
acid (2,4 D).
• Pediculicides : to treat lice. ( organochlorines (lindane),
organophosphates (malathion). They are the agents approved
by the government.
• Epsom Salt : Hydrated Magnesium Sulphate (MgSo4.7H2O),
used in medicines to empty bowels.
• Chloroform (CHCl3, Trichloromethane) : A sweetish,
colourless liquid. It is used as a solvent and an anaesthetic.
Thank You