BTEC L3 Unit 14 Applications of Organic Chemistry Asssignment Brief

Vocational Scenario or Context

You are a junior technician working for Naqua LTD in their laboratory in Discovery Park, Sandwich. The company is focused on the discovery, development & manufacturing of prescription and non-prescription animal health medicines. You will be working in drug development, and to complete your probationary period, you must undergo some training alongside your work in the laboratory. As part of this training, you will produce a research report to demonstrate your knowledge of isomerism and its implications for the safe design and production of new drugs.

Task

Use your lesson notes and research you have carried out on isomerism to produce a research report to demonstrate your knowledge of isomerism, which will:

• Explain structural isomerism and the different types that exist (i.e. chain, positional and functional group). Give at least two examples of each type, including structural formulae, to illustrate more clearly what structural isomerism is. Compare different structural isomers that have the same molecular formula, considering the difference in physical or chemical properties.
• Explain stereoisomerism and the different types that exist (i.e. geometric and optical). Give simple and naturally occurring examples of each type to illustrate your explanations, including structural formulae of stereoisomers. For geometric stereoisomerism, include cis and trans (Z and E) stereoisomers of unsaturated fatty acids (e.g. oleic acid and elaidic acid). For optical isomerism, include amino acids (e.g. L-alanine and D-alanine), sugars (e.g. glucose and galactose) and starch with cellulose. Compare different stereoisomers of the same molecular formula, considering any difference in physical or chemical properties that exist.
• Examine the importance and impact of isomerism in industry – research case studies in order to consider the formation of different isomers during manufacture, how their presence may influence the industrial process, the differences in properties that they might have, and the possible consequences of ignoring the presence of isomerism.
• Analyse the therapeutic or chemical effects of isomerism. Research the drugs thalidomide and ibuprofen, and their therapeutic effects. Both drugs have optical isomers: compare the structures and properties of the optical isomers in each case study. Explain why one of these drugs is only available as a single optical isomer whilst the other is sold as a racemic mixture (a 50:50 mixture of both optical isomers). Discuss the implications of having to separate a racemic mixture into its stereoisomers and the implications if the two stereoisomers are not separated, regarding the two drugs.

Checklist of evidence required

A research report to include:

• An explanation of the different types of structural isomers (chain, positional, and functional group) and stereoisomers (geometric and optical). Including the structural formula of each example to illustrate more clearly what isomerism is, and diagrams showing examples of each of the types of isomerism. A comparison of isomers and their different properties.
• An examination of the importance and impact of isomerism on industrial processes and the consequence of not being aware of isomerism;
• A comparison of the properties of the isomers of thalidomide and ibuprofen, and an analysis of their therapeutic properties.Including a consideration of why one of the drugs is sold as a racemic mixture whilst the other is not.

Sources of information must be appropriately referenced. Correct scientific terminology must be used.