Course Schedule
PHAR 111 General Chemistry I (3 Credits)
The student will be expected to appreciate the relevance of chemistry to pharmacy practice. The course will focus on chemical structure, bonding and shape as exemplified in the classical model of the atom, Bohr’s models, quantum mechanics and Schrödinger equation, relation to atomic structure, Aufbau, Hund’s and Pauli’s exclusion principles: MO and VB approaches to bonding, shapes of atomic and molecular orbitals e.g. H2O, NH3 and CH4 and Hybridization of atomic orbitals. The Periodic Table, Equilibria in Electrolytes, Acids and Bases, Buffers, Handerson Hasselberg equation.
Bio-Inorganic Chemistry;
metals in the body, electrolytes and transition metals-roles in biological functions, iron in haemoglobin, zinc in some enzymes, identification, assay and uses of metals in pharmacy e.g. Fe, Mg, Al, Zn , Ca etc.
Organic chemistry:
Introduction to organic chemistry: Alkanes and cycloalkanes; bonding, nomenclature, isomerism, preparations, reactions, free radical chain reaction: Alkenes; Preparation and reactions, geometric isomerism, carbonium ions, addition reaction. Markonikov’s and anti Markonikov’s addition, polymerization, substitution and oxidation reactions, dienes, 1, 4- addition reaction. Alkynes; preparations, addition reactions, tautomerism and acidity.
PHAR 113 General Chemistry Practical (1 Credit)
Students will develop the ability to identify Laboratory equipment. The course will enable students to develop practical skills for the preparation of stock solutions, weighing techniques and calibration of a burette, perform basic volumetric analysis, acid/base, double indicator and back titrations, redox titrations, permanganate and iodine/thiosulphate titration and complexometric titrations.
PHAR 112 Organic Pharmaceutical Chemistry I (3 Credits)
In this course students will acquire the ability to classify organic compounds into groups, predict their chemical and physical properties, method of synthesis, the reactions they under and their significance to pharmacy and medicine. Functional group Chemistry including; Benzene and its aromaticity, Arenes: Organometallic compounds including Grignard reagents and the reactions, Alcohols, Alkyl halides: preparation and reactions; Aryl halides: Glycols: Ethers and epoxides, Aldehydes and ketones, their properties, preparation and reactions; Carboxylic acids; Amines; Diazonium salts;
PHAR 114 Organic Pharmaceutical Chemistry Practical (1 Credit)
Students will acquire practical skills for basic techniques in simple synthesis, basic and limit tests, determination of melting points and boiling points, recrystalization, solvent extraction and reduced pressure evaporation.
PHAR 211 Physical/Analytical Chemistry (3 Credits)
Appreciation of physical chemistry concepts, ability to derive reaction rates, determine the order of reactions and apply these concepts to drug stability in pharmaceutical formulations and other relevant pharmaceutical systems. Characteristics of weak acids, bases and their salts, amino acids, buffer solutions. Polarimetry and Refractometry. Electrolytic conduction. Electromotive Force. Polarography and Amperometry, Chemical kinetics – Definition of basic terms, order of reaction: derivation of Zero, first and second order Laws. Factors affecting rate of a chemical process - temperature, ionic effect. Arrhenius’ and Eyring’s equation, theory of rate process. Thermodynamics: First and Second Laws, Thermochemistry, Enthalpy, Entropy, Free Energy. Introduction to chromatography; Introduction to spectroscopy: Light absorption and the use of filters to select various types of light. The electromagnetic spectrum and its separation, i.e. R O Y G B I V.
PHAR 213 Physical Chemistry Practical (1 Credit)
In this course the student will be trained to use basic laboratory equipment such as polarimeter, conductimeter and refractometer. By the application of physical chemistry principles the student will be enabled to identify and analyze given compounds and solutions.
PHAR 212 Organic Pharmaceutical Chemistry II (3 Credits)
Students will be exposed to the Chemistry of Biologically important macromolecules and their interactions. Review of functional group Chemistry, Dicarboxylic acids, Condensation polymerization, Keto acids and esters, Hydroxy acids, lactides, lactones, Stereochemistry, Optical isomerism; Heterocyclic compounds (Pyrrole, Furan, Thiophene, Pyridine Fused ring heterocyclics including Quinoline, isoquinoline, purines etc), properties, synthesis and their reaction Alicyclic compounds and Carbohydrates, Amino acids, peptides proteins including 1o, 2o, 3o & 4o structures and their synthesis, Nucleosides, nucleotides and Nucleic acids including RNA, DNA, their replication and protein biosynthesis.
PHAR 214 Organic Pharm. Chemistry II Practical (1 Credit)
This course will enable students develop the practical ability to carry out synthesis, extraction, purification and re-crystallization to obtain very pure compounds. Volumetric analysis of organic compounds and related pharmaceuticals. Determination of elements and functional groups in organic compounds.
PHAR 311 Medicinal Chemistry I (3 credits)
Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry. Physicochemical principles of drug action. Drug metabolism including bio-transformation and conjugation, mechanisms and therapeutic significance. The Pharmacodynamic and miscellaneous agents to be encountered in this course will include Analgesics (Narcotic and non-narcotics), antipyretics, anti-tussives; central nervous system depressants; psychotherapeutic agents; drugs acting on the cardiovascular, renal and haematopoietic systems; hormonal and related drugs e.g. steroids, peptides, phospholipid metabolites; autonomic nervous system agonists and antagonists; Neurotransmitters in the adrenergic and cholinergic systems.
PHAR 313 Medicinal Chemistry I Practical (1 Credit)
The practical skills acquired in course PHAS 214 will be used for standardization of selected solutions; iodimetric assay of penicillins by the BP method; Assay of selected drugs by BP methods; synthesis, purification and analysis of selected drugs and pharmaceutical products.
PHAR 312 Drug /Spectroscopic analysis (4 Credits)
Introduction to spectroscopy
Spectroscopic methods of analysis and structural determination of drugs: flame photometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy; instrumentation, underlying processes and applications in the pharmaceutical industry; interpretation of spectra and identification of compounds using spectroscopic techniques. Techniques involving UV and Visible spectroscopy (including fluorimetry), Infra Red Spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Proton & Carbon 13 NMR, Mass Spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography will be considered. Correlation of these methods and techniques for structure elucidation will also be considered. Preparation of monographs. Chromatography in Pharmaceutical analysis (GLC and HPLC). Review of titrimetric methods for quality assurance of drugs. Non-aqueous titrations, acid/base titrations, oxidation-reduction titration etc.
PHAR 314 Drug Analysis Practical (1 Credit)
This course will enable students to assay, identify and estimate the purity of drugs and other pharmaceutical products using basic equipment like UV and IR spectrophotometers. Students will learn techniques involving titrimetric, gravimetric, potentiometric, chromatographic and spectroscopic methods of analysis of drugs.
PHAR 411 Medicinal Chemistry II (3 Credits)
Students will be required to demonstrate ability to relate chemistry of medicinal compounds to their physicochemical properties, structural features, stability, assay and mode of action. They will also be able to relate stereochemistry to biological activity. The course will provide approaches to synthesis of medicinal compounds and the chemistry of chemotherapeutic agents such as: antimalarials, trypanocides, antischistosomal agents, amoebicides, trichomonicides, leishmanicides, filaricides and anthelmintics. Also included are drugs acting against infectious diseases; commonly used antibiotics and related agents of clinical importance, antineoplastic and anti-viral agents.
PHAR 410 Pharmaceutical Chemistry Project (6 Credits)
In the final year of the B.Pharm degree programme students will be assigned one research project to be undertaken in both Semesters 7 and 8. The project will be designed to enable the students to demonstrate the scientific skills they have acquired in the preceding three years. A problem of relevance in pharmaceutical science or pharmacy practice which will require literature search, choice of appropriate methodology, experimental design and execution, data generation or collection, compilation, analysis and discussion of results using acceptable statistical methods will be assigned to students. Upon completion of the project, which will be carried out under the mentorship of an academic supervisor, the student will present a seminar and a final bound report for assessment.
NB;
Project I
Introduction to report writing, selection of research topic, Literature search on topic, design of experiment and collection of reagents and chemicals for the work.
Project II
Experimental work, analysis of data and writing and oral presentation of report.
PHAR 412 Drug Design, Development and Quality Assurance (4 Credits)
In this course, students will appreciate principles of drug development including drug design concepts. It will also provide an awareness and appreciation of the significance of drug quality in pharmacotherapy. – Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSAR) and appropriate formulation with pharmacologically inert excipients and additives. Students will be assigned one case study each of a therapeutic class of drugs to illustrate the design and development of specific drugs in that class. Theory and practice of quality assessment of drugs and pharmaceutical products. Good Manufacturing Practices to promote quality assurance and ensure quality control. Laboratory methods and techniques for drug quality assessment and assurance. The student will be expected to appreciate the relevance of chemistry to pharmacy practice. The course will focus on chemical structure, bonding and shape as exemplified in the classical model of the atom, Bohr’s models, quantum mechanics and Schrödinger equation, relation to atomic structure, Aufbau, Hund’s and Pauli’s principles: MO and VB approaches to bonding, shapes of atomic and molecular orbitals e.g. H2O, NH3 and CH4 and Hybridisation of atomic orbitals. The Periodic Table; Equilibria in Electrolytes; Acids and Bases; Bio-inorganic chemistry; metals in the body, electrolytes and transition metals-roles in biological functions, iron in haemoglobin, zinc in some enzymes, identification, assay and uses of metals in pharmacy e.g. Fe, Mg, Al, Zn , Ca etc. Organic chemistry: Introduction to organic chemistry: Alkanes; bonding, nomenclature, isomerism, preparations, reactions, free radical chain reaction: Alkenes; Preparation and reactions, geometric isomerism, carbonium ions, additions. Markovnikov’s and anti Markovnikov’s addition, polymerization, substitution and oxidation reactosn, dienes, 1, 4- addition reaction. Alkynes; preparations, addition reactions, tautomerism and acidity.