This free online science course explains how to detect and identify chemical substances and discusses drug design.

Did you know that gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a chemical detection technology used at airports to check for drugs or other illegal substances in luggage or on passengers? This advanced chemistry course examines this mixed technique and provides other analytical chemistry tools before laying out several approaches to drug development. We first explore several types of chromatography, including paper and thin-layer chromatographies, and identify their real-world applications.

The course then delves into nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and describes the properties that affect atomic nuclei in a molecule, such as spin, chemical shift and coupling. We cover proton (1H) nuclear magnetic resonance, the preparation of 1H-NMR samples, the two types of 1H-NMR (low- and high-resolution NMR) and Carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy. We then explain how to analyse samples in mass spectrometry and mass spectrum assessment.

We show you how changes in enzyme structure might directly hinder a pathogen's capacity to conduct vital tasks. We then trace the advancement of cancer treatment and HIV drugs through new techniques such as molecular modelling and X-rays. The course discusses chirality in pharmaceutical synthesis and provides strategies for producing pure enantiomers. Lastly, we discuss the purposes of synthetic routes and organic reactions flowcharts. Sign up for this advanced course to enhance your organic chemistry expertise.