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Justus Von Liebig and the First Small Molecule Drugs Justus Von Liebig and the First Small Molecule Drugs
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Fulminic Acid and Isomerism: The Challenge of Making Defined Structures Fulminic Acid and Isomerism: The Challenge of Making Defined Structures
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Synthesis of Biological Molecules Synthesis of Biological Molecules
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Extracting and Purifying Compounds Extracting and Purifying Compounds
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Combining Extraction and Synthesis to make Fever-Reducing Drugs Combining Extraction and Synthesis to make Fever-Reducing Drugs
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Finding the Target Protein for Morphine in Cells Finding the Target Protein for Morphine in Cells
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The Emergence of Molecular Medicine The Emergence of Molecular Medicine
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Designing Targeted Drugs Designing Targeted Drugs
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Structure-Based Drug Discovery Structure-Based Drug Discovery
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2 A New Science of Molecules
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Published:January 2013
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Abstract
This chapter explains how small molecules came to be used as drugs and how they function mechanistically. It begins by focusing on the emergence of organic chemistry and the role played by Justus von Liebig in the birth of organic chemistry through the isolation and synthesis of highly purified small molecules, paying special attention to his pioneering studies on fulminic acid and his collaboration with Friedrich Wohler that led to their discovery of the first example of isomers. The chapter then considers two related approaches for generating biologically active molecules: synthesis and extraction, along with Wohler’s synthesis of urea in 1828. It also discusses advances in extraction methods for purifying molecules from natural sources; the combination of extraction and synthesis methods to make derivatives of molecules found in nature, including the discovery of fever-reducing drugs; changes in the approach to drug discovery that laid the foundation for defining the problem of the undruggable proteins; the emergence of molecular medicine; and the rise of structure-based drug design.
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