1.

During drug development, trials are conducted to determine the therapeutic window.
(a)

Explain the meaning of the term therapeutic window and discuss its importance in drug
administration.
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......................................................................................................................................
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......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(4)

(b)

Explain the use of placebos in clinical trials on humans.

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......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(3)

(c)

Identify one other effect of a drug which must be determined during clinical trials.
......................................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 8 marks)

2.

Nicotine and caffeine are commonly classified as stimulants.

(a)

State the name of one functional group which is present in caffeine but absent in nicotine.
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b)

Other than methyl groups, state the name of one functional group present in both caffeine
and nicotine.
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......................................................................................................................................

IB Questionbank Chemistry

(1)
(Total 2 marks)

3.

Caffeine and nicotine are two common stimulants.

(a)

Describe two effects of large amounts of caffeine on the human body.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b)

(i)

State the name of the functional group circled on the structure of caffeine.

...........................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii)

Deduce which functional group is common to both nicotine and caffeine.

...........................................................................................................................
(1)

(iii)

Identify one short-term effect of nicotine consumption.

...........................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 5 marks)

4.

(a)

State two symptoms associated with caffeine being consumed in large amounts.
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b)

State two short-term and two long-term effects of nicotine consumption.

Short-term:
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Long-term:
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 3 marks)

5.

(i)

Outline the meaning of the term sympathomimetic drug.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii)

State one example of a sympathomimetic drug other than nicotine.

......................................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 2 marks)

6.

The first penicillin to be used was benzylpenicillin (Penicillin G), its structure is shown below.

(a)

Explain how penicillins are able to act as antibacterials.

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......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b)

Modern penicillins have a similar structure to Penicillin G but a different side-chain.

State two advantages of modifying the side-chain.
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......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

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(c)

Discuss the reason why a cocktail of different antibacterials may be needed to treat
tuberculosis (TB).
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 5 marks)

7.

Aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen), morphine and diamorphine (heroin) are all pain killers.
Their structures are given in Table 20 of the Data Booklet.
(a)

Aspirin is thought to interfere with the production of prostaglandins. Explain how this
produces an analgesic effect.
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b)

Explain how morphine can prevent pain.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(c)

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is generally considered to be safe to use as an analgesic in

small doses. Other than the possibility of death, outline the problems associated with
taking larger doses of paracetamol.
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......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(d)

State one important use for aspirin other than the relief of pain and fever.
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(e)

Other than the phenyl group, state the name of one other functional group that is common
to
(i)

both paracetamol and morphine.

...........................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii)

both aspirin and diamorphine.

...........................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 7 marks)

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8.

Outline what is meant by the term synergistic effect of ethanol using a suitable example.
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(Total 2 marks)

9.

Two substances commonly used in antacid tablets are magnesium hydroxide and aluminium
hydroxide.
(a)

State an equation to represent a neutralization reaction with one of the above antacids.
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b)

State and explain whether 0.1 mol of magnesium hydroxide is more effective or less
effective than 0.1 mol of aluminium hydroxide.
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(c)

Suggest why compounds such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide cannot be

used as an antacid.
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......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(d)

Explain why alginates and dimethicone are often included in antacid tablets.
Alginates:
......................................................................................................................................
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Dimethicone:
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(2)
(Total 5 marks)

10.

State two differences in structure between viruses and bacteria.

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................................................................................................................................................
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(Total 2 marks)

11.

(a)

Sodium hydrogencarbonate, NaHCO3, and magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2, can both be

used as antacids.
(i)

Give the equations for the reactions of sodium hydrogencarbonate and magnesium
hydroxide with hydrochloric acid.
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...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
(2)

(ii)

Compare the effectiveness of 1.00 g of sodium hydrogencarbonate to 0.50 g of

magnesium hydroxide in combating acidity in the stomach.
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(3)

(b)

Explain why alginates are often added to antacids.

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(1)
(Total 6 marks)

12.

Discuss two difficulties associated with the development of drugs for the effective treatment of
AIDS.
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(Total 2 marks)

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13.

Some mind-altering drugs contain the indole ring. The structures of indole and some mindaltering drugs are shown in Table 20 of the Data Booklet.
(a)

In terms of functional groups, state two similarities in the structures of LSD, psilocybin
and mescaline.
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......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b)

State the names of two functional groups that are present in LSD but not in mescaline.
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(2)
(Total 4 marks)

14.

Paroxetine, whose structure is shown below, is a drug prescribed to people suffering from
mental depression.

(a)

Identify the two chiral carbon atoms in the structure above with an asterisk (*).
(2)

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(b)

Explain, with an example, the importance of chirality in drug action.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(c)

Describe the use of chiral auxiliaries to synthesize the desired enantiomer of a drug.
......................................................................................................................................
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......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(d)

Paroxetine is usually prescribed in the form of its hydrochloride salt.

(i)

Explain why it is used in this form.

...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
(2)

(ii)

State the structural feature of a molecule of paroxetine that enables it to form a salt.
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 9 marks)

15.

Bacterial and viral infections require different types of medication.

(a)

Outline two differences between bacteria and viruses.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b)

Antiviral drugs are used for the treatment of HIV and other viral infections. Describe two

IB Questionbank Chemistry

ways in which antiviral drugs work.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(c)

Discuss why viral infections are generally harder to treat than bacterial infections.
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(3)
(Total 7 marks)

16.

Mild analgesics such as aspirin, and strong analgesics such as opiates, differ not only in their
potency but also in the ways they act on the central nervous system.
(a)

Describe how mild and strong analgesics provide pain relief.

Mild analgesics:
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
Strong analgesics:
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b)

Discuss two advantages and two disadvantages of using morphine and other opiates for
pain relief.
Advantages:
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Disadvantages:

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......................................................................................................................................
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(4)
(Total 6 marks)

17.

The greenhouse effect maintains the Earths average temperature at a habitable level.
The components of the Earths atmosphere responsible for this effect are called greenhouse
gases.
(a)

Major greenhouse gases are water vapour and carbon dioxide. State two other greenhouse
gases.
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b)

Describe how greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect.

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(3)

(c)

Discuss three possible implications of global warming on world food production.

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(3)
(Total 8 marks)

18.

Compound libraries are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the development of new
drugs. Such libraries can be quickly created by combinatorial and parallel syntheses.
(a)

Explain how combinatorial and parallel chemistry can be used to build compound
libraries.
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IB Questionbank Chemistry

10

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(4)

(b)

Outline the role of computers in drug design.

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......................................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 6 marks)

19.

Describe two ways in which antiviral drugs work.

................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................
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................................................................................................................................................
(Total 2 marks)

20.

Examples of strong analgesics are morphine, codeine and diamorphine (heroin).

Their structures are shown in Table 20 of the Data Booklet.
(i)

Identify two functional groups present in all three of these analgesics.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(ii)

Identify one functional group present in morphine, but not in diamorphine.

......................................................................................................................................
(1)

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11

(iii)

State the name of the type of chemical reaction which is used to convert morphine into
diamorphine.
......................................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 4 marks)

21.

Medicines and drugs alter the physiological state of the body including consciousness and
coordination.
(a)

State one other effect of medicines and drugs on the body.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b)

Explain the meaning of the following terms:

(i)

therapeutic window.
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii)

tolerance.
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
(1)

(iii) placebo effect.

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...........................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 4 marks)

22.

In recent years there have been significant advances in drug design, mainly due to the
techniques of combinatorial chemistry and parallel synthesis. Discuss the use of these
techniques, with reference to:
(i)

the advantage of the techniques compared to previous methods.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

IB Questionbank Chemistry

12

(ii)

the methods used.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(3)

(iii) the difference between combinatorial chemistry and parallel synthesis.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 5 marks)

23.

(a)

State one difference between viruses and bacteria.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b)

Discuss three methods in which the activities of humans has created an increase in the
resistance to penicillin in bacteria populations.
......................................................................................................................................
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......................................................................................................................................
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......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(3)
(Total 4 marks)

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13

24.
(a)
One method for detecting ethanol in breath involves blowing through a tube
containing crystals of potassium dichromate(VI). The ethanol turns the crystals from orange to
green.
Explain what happens to both the dichromate(VI) ion and the ethanol in this reaction.
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b)

A modern method for accurately determining the amount of ethanol in breath uses an
intoximeter. Describe how an intoximeter works.
.....................................................................................................................................
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.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(3)
(Total 5 marks)

25.

Caffeine is a stimulant with the following structure.

O
CH

CH

N
CH

C a ffe in e

(a)

Determine whether both amine groups in caffeine are primary, secondary or tertiary.
.....................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b)

Caffeine contains the group

group.

C H

. State the general name for this functional

.....................................................................................................................................
IB Questionbank Chemistry

14

(1)

(c)

Tablets of the drug Ecstasy are sometimes contaminated with a substance called 4MTA.
H
CH

CH

H 2C

CH

H
CH

CH
H 3C

E c s ta s y
(i)

CH
CH

H
3

4 M TA

Ecstasy and 4-MTA are sympathomimetic drugs. Identify the structural similarity
between the two drugs and epinephrine (adrenaline), the structure of which is given
in Table 20 of the Data Booklet.
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii)

Outline what is meant by the term sympathomimetic drug and state two examples
of short-term effects sympathomimetic drugs have on the human body.
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
(3)

(iii) State one example of a long-term effect of taking stimulants.

...........................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total 7 marks)

26.

Ibuprofen is an analgesic with the following structure:

ib u p ro fe n

(a)

Identify the chiral carbon atom in the structure of ibuprofen using an asterisk (*).
(1)

IB Questionbank Chemistry

15

(b)

Describe how chiral auxiliaries can be used to synthesize only the desired enantiomeric
form of a drug from a non-chiral starting compound. Explain why it is important to use
only the desired enantiomeric form of a drug and state an example of what can happen if
a racemic mixture is used.
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
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.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
(5)
(Total 6 marks)

27.

Amphetamine and methamphetamine are widely abused drugs.

(a)

State one short-term effect of amphetamine on the human body.

......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b)

Explain why amphetamine is classified as a sympathomimetic drug and relate this to its
structure.
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(c)

Regular use of amphetamine and methamphetamine can lead to tolerance. Explain why
this is potentially dangerous.
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................
(2)

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16

(Total 5 marks)

IB Questionbank Chemistry

17