Answer to Question #209826 in Organic Chemistry for shhh

Question

Explain (in 500 words) the significance of optical property of drug molecules on their bioactivity with special reference to Thalidomide and Vitamin C.

Answer 1

The means that both enantiomers are formed in a roughly equal mix in the blood. So, even if a drug of only the 'R' isomer had been created, the disaster would not have been averted.

Drug isomerism has opened a new era of drug development. Currently, knowledge of isomerism has helped us in introducing safer and more effective drug alternatives of the newer as well as existing drugs. Many existing drugs have gone chiral switch i.e., switching from racemic mixture to one of its isomers.