Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to cholesterol contributes to...

Cycloalkanes are saturated cyclic hydrocarbons with carbon atoms arranged in the form of rings. They have two fewer hydrogen atoms than the corresponding acyclic alkane; therefore, their general formula is CnH2n. The structural formulas of cycloalkanes are simplified using the line-angle representation. The regular polygons are used to represent the cycloalkane rings, with each side representing a carbon-carbon bond.
The IUPAC nomenclature of cycloalkanes follows similar rules that apply to...

Olefins, which are unsaturated hydrocarbons containing one or more carbon–carbon double bonds, are broadly divided into alkenes and cycloalkenes. The general chemical formula of an alkene is CnH2n.
Doubly bonded carbons are sp2 hybridized and have a trigonal planar geometry. The double bond is composed of a σ bond formed by the overlap of hybrid orbitals and a π bond produced by the lateral overlap of unhybridized 2p orbitals on both the carbons. Each carbon atom is bonded to two hydrogen atoms...

The IUPAC naming system for alkenes replaces -an- with -en- in the corresponding parent alkanes. Accordingly, a simple alkene replaces the -ane suffix of the alkane with -ene.
As per the IUPAC rules, the longest carbon chain containing the maximum number of double bonds is identified as the parent chain and is numbered such that the doubly bonded carbon atoms receive the lowest possible numbers. The location of the double bond is indicated by the number of its first carbon atom. In branched...

Opioids are a class of drugs that mimic endogenous opioid peptides and act on opioid receptors, and help in pain relief. These compounds are classified as natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic. Natural opioids, like morphine, codeine, and thebaine, are derived from the opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum or Papaver album) and are termed opiates. Synthetic opioids are artificial, while semi-synthetic opioids combine natural and synthetic compounds. Morphine, a prototypical opioid, possesses a...

In general, the term ‘aromatic’ indicates a pleasant smell or fragrance from fresh flowers, freshly prepared coffee, etc. In the early history of organic chemistry, many benzene derivatives were isolated from the pleasant odor oils of the plants. For example, vanillin was isolated from the oil of vanilla, methyl salicylate from the oil of wintergreen, and cinnamaldehyde from the oil of cinnamon. They all had a pleasant odor; hence the name aromatic was given.
In 1825, Faraday isolated benzene...