contestada

Over 50 years ago, pregnant women who were pregnant were prescribed thalidomide for morning sickness gave birth to children with birth defects. Thalidomide is a mixture of two enantiomers; one reduces morning sickness, but the other causes sever defects. Today, the FDA has approved this drug for other diseases and types of cancers. The beneficial enantiomer can be synthesized and given to patients, but over time, both the beneficial form and the harmful form can be detected in the body. Propose a possible explanation for the presence of the harmful enantiomer over time.

Respuesta :

The useful enantiomer is able to be converted to the harmful enantiomer by mechanisms in the body.

What is an enantiomer?

An enantiomer refers to a type of optical isomer in which the two isomers are mirror images of each other. We know that an enantiomer can be able to rotate or change the direction of plane polarized light either to the right or to the left.

The fact that the harmful enantiomer can be found in the body after a long period of time implies that the compound have a long half life and is not readily excreted from the body.

Secondly, the fact that the harmful enantiomer was found in the body also mean that overtime, the useful enantiomer is able to be converted to the harmful enantiomer by mechanisms in the body.

Learn more about enantiomer:https://brainly.com/question/21506956

#SPJ1