Summary
Drug development and research offer some of the most challenging and exciting research in the field of chemistry. Chemistry of Drugs provides an introduction to the most common processes by which chemists design and develop drugs today. It describes the chemical principles on which those processes are based, along with an overview of the applications and hazards associated with a variety of drugs available both legally and illegally.
Coverage also includes attempts to find and develop new natural products for use as drugs; the potential for curing diseases, such as cancer; the growing field of biotechnology; and combinational chemistry, a method of producing, evaluating, and developing new chemical compounds with possible value as drugs. Designer drugs are also discussed, as well as important social, economic, and political issues related to the development and use of drugs. Biographical information on many influential figures involved in the advancement of this field throughout history completes this enlightening volume.
Chapters include:
- Understanding the Way Drugs Work in the Body
- Natural Products
- Recombinant DNA as a New Source of Drugs
- Designer Drugs
- Rational Drug Design: Structure-Activity Relationships and Combinatorial Chemistry.
Specifications
Black-and-white photographs and line illustrations. Index. Appendixes. Bibliography. Glossary. Further reading. Web sources.
About the Author(s)
David E. Newton holds an associate’s degree in science from Grand Rapids Junior College, a B.A. in chemistry and an M.A. in education from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in science education from Harvard University. He taught mathematics and physical sciences, was a professor of chemistry and physics at Salem State College, and was an adjunct professor in the College of Professional Studies at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of more than 400 textbooks, encyclopedias, resource books, research manuals, trade books, and other educational materials, including DNA Evidence and Forensic Science, one volume in Facts On File's Library in a Book series.