Heterocycles
or heterocyclic compounds are compounds composing of rings. At least one member of the ring are atoms other than
carbons. These atoms are called heteroatoms.
Commonly found in nature and relevant to biology and pharmacy are the
heteroatoms nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur.
Heterocycles
come in various shapes and sizes. They can be five-membered rings,
six-membered, or two rings joined together. They can also be non-aromatic types and aromatic types. All of these determine
their physicochemical properties such as how strong a base they are and their
reactivity towards nucleophiles and electrophiles.
As appetizers to our course, here
are some interesting examples of heterocycles in life :
The
heme molecule within our red blood cells is crucial in carrying oxygen
molecules for respiration. It is made of four heterocycles called pyrroles.
 |
| Red blood cells |
Quinine
is the first drug used in treating the malaria disease. It is isolated from the
cinchona bark. It contains within its structure a heterocycle called quinoline.
 |
| Quinine from the barks of Cinchona |
In
this lesson, you will learn:
- - How
to draw, name, and identify of some common heterocycles, their aromaticity and
basicity.
- - About
the reactions that heterocycles participate in
- - How
to prepare these heterocycles in classical synthesis methods
