Mon Prof Augmenté
Plant and sea molecules
Age 17 · Nature
Many medicines begin with molecules produced by plants and sea organisms. Once the active molecule is identified, laboratories can synthesise identical copies.
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In the picture
- Sea snail shell: a natural source of a molecule
- Moss cushion: a plant source of natural molecules
- Glass flask: a vessel for making a copied molecule
- Ball-and-stick model: the structure of the active molecule
Examples
- Aspirin: based on a molecule from willow bark.
- Morphine: originally taken from the opium poppy.
Key takeaways
- Plants and sea organisms are natural sources of many medicine molecules.
- Once the active molecule is known, labs can make identical copies.
Quiz: Plant and sea molecules (Age 17)
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According to the card, many medicines begin with molecules produced by which kinds of sources?
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Once the active molecule has been identified, what can laboratories do?
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What must be known before laboratories can make identical copies of a medicine molecule?
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