Abstract
A second-year organic chemistry laboratory experiment to introduce students to general concepts of medicinal chemistry is described. Within a single three-hour time window, students experience the synthesis of a biologically active small molecule and the assaying of its biological toxicity. Benzodiazepine rings are commonly found in antidepressant therapeutics, including Valium and Xanax. This experiment involves the one-step synthesis of a1,5-benzodiazepine derivative via the condensation-cyclization of ortho-phenylenediamine with two equivalents of acetone. Following its isolation, the toxicity of the benzodiazepine product is evaluated via a brine shrimp assay, which allows students to rapidly observe differences in biological activity among varying benzodiazepine concentrations.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 631-633 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Journal of chemical education |
Volume | 87 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 27 2010 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Chemistry(all)
- Education