David G. Watson

Pharmaceutical analysis determines the purity, concentration, active compounds, shelf life, rate of absorption in the body, identity, stability, rate of release etc. of a drug. Testing a pharmaceutical product involves a variety of analyses, and the analytical processes described in this book are used in industries as diverse as food, beverages, cosmetics, detergents, metals, paints, water, agrochemicals, biotechnological products and pharmaceuticals. The mathematics involved is notoriously difficult, but this much-praised and well established textbook, now revised and updated for its fifth edition, guides a student through the complexities with clear writing and the author's expertise from many years' teaching pharmacy students. Worked calculation examples and self-assessment test questions aid continuous learning reinforcement throughout Frequent use of figures and diagrams clarify points made in the text Practical examples are used to show the application of techniques Key points boxes summarise the need to know information for each topic Focuses on the most relevant and frequently used techniques within the field

This new book, from the editor of the highly successful Pharmaceutical Analysis, sets out to define the area of pharmaceutical chemistry as distinct from medicinal chemistry. It focuses less on prototypes of drugs that perhaps never came to market and more on the drugs currently in use. The emphasis in the book is on the physicochemical properties of drug molecules and, in so far as they are known, the way that these properties govern the interaction of the drug with its target. Important physicochemical properties include pKa and partition coefficient and the properties of the structural elements within the drug which provide interactions with the target via a range of intermolecular forces. The last fifteen years has seen a great advance in the knowledge of protein structures and a strong emphasis is given to the interaction of drugs with proteins which shape the majority of drug mechanisms. Focus on intramolecular actions Mechanisms of action richly illustrated Self-assessment included Comprehensive chapters on vitamins and biotechnological products