Note! All syntheses shown in this section are presented for educational purposes only. They are intended to demonstrate important concepts in organic chemistry, such as functional group transformations, reaction mechanisms, and synthetic strategy, not to provide practical or complete methods for preparing pharmaceuticals or other regulated substances.
💊 In this section of Chemistry Steps, we will explore the synthesis of important and well-known drugs, using each one as a structured practice synthesis problem. The goal is to help you apply the core principles of organic chemistry to real molecules found in medicine.
Each drug synthesis will be presented as a step-by-step exercise, accompanied by references to the relevant chapters and reaction types, such as:
- Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution (EAS)
- Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones
- Reactions of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives
- Organometallic Reagents
- Oxidation and Reduction
- Protecting groups
- Functional group interconversions
This new section will allow you to practice designing multistep syntheses while studying how widely used pharmaceuticals, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, ibuprofen, lidocaine, sulfa drugs, and others, can be assembled from simple organic molecules.
The objective is not only to understand how these drugs can be prepared but also to reinforce key synthetic strategies and reaction mechanisms across multiple chapters of organic chemistry.
The List of Practice Problems on Some Essential Drugs
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