Improving pharmacy students' understanding and long-term retention of acid-base chemistry.
Despite repeated exposure to the principles underlying the behavior of organic acids and bases in aqueous solution, some pharmacy students remain confused about the topic of acid-base chemistry. Since a majority of organic drug molecules have acid-base character, the ability to predict their reactivity and the extent to which they will ionize in a given medium is paramount to students' understanding of essentially all aspects of drug action in vivo and in vitro. This manuscript presents a medicinal chemistry lesson in the fundamentals of acid-base chemistry that many pharmacy students have found enlightening and clarifying.
Roche
Victoria F
VF
School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178, USA. roche@creighton.edu
D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium / Q000502:physiology; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000193:education*; D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D013997:Time Factors