Penicillin Essay

The early twentieth century led to the discovery of penicillin, which revolutionized the use of curative agents to combat many bacterial contagions found around the globe. This was particularly useful in 1943 when the War Production Board outlined a plan to mass-produce a powdered formula of the drug to aid in the WWII American war effort.1 Penicillin’s use on Allied forces in the field reduced the number of amputations and deaths by an estimated 12-15%.2 Despite penicillin’s continued use today, uncertainties during the early-mid 1900’s regarding penicillin’s production costs and efficacy left a gap for research to find an alternative solution. Filling this opening, sulfa drugs quickly climbed to the top of research and development agendas of many major pharmaceutical companies.1 Sulfa drugs are any number of synthetically produced antibiotics that contain
Since mammals do not synthesize their own folic acid, PABA inhibitors such as sulfanilamide selectively kill bacteria without injuring the host (Figure 1). One of the most well-known preparation techniques of sulfanilamide is achieved by treating aniline with excess chlorosulfonic acid via replacement of hydrogen with a sulfonyl chloride group. This reagent forms sulfonic acid first before being converted into a sulfonyl chloride by the excess chlorosulfonic acid (Scheme 1). A key method of sulfanilamide production via this chlorosulfonic acid is the synthesis of p-acetaminobenzenesulfonyl chloride (P-ASC), in which a large quantity of sulfonic acid is required. This can pose serious environmental