Chemistry For Your Life

Why does ibuprofen take so long to work?


Listen Later

#196

New College-Style Sweatshirt!

Melissa and Jam delve into the science behind ibuprofen, exploring why it takes around 30 minutes to work. The discussion covers the chemistry of ibuprofen, including the concept of chiral molecules and enantiomers—molecules with mirror-image forms—highlighting how only one form of ibuprofen works effectively. The episode explains why both forms are included in the medication due to production challenges and discusses recent findings about ibuprofen's potential in cancer treatment. Additionally, the show features various fun facts about ibuprofen, aspirin comparisons, environmentally friendly production methods, and more.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview

05:07 Chemistry Lesson: Handedness of Molecules
17:52 Ibuprofen's Chiral Nature and Its Effects
19:15 The Racemic Mixture of Ibuprofen
24:06 The Wastefulness of Chemistry
24:29 Challenges of Purifying Enantiomers
25:16 Economic and Environmental Considerations
26:28 Understanding Ibuprofen's Handedness
27:26 The Debate on Enantiomer Separation
34:45 Fun Facts About Ibuprofen
39:55 Green Chemistry and Ibuprofen
45:42 Community and Closing Remarks

References from this episode:
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4276492/
  2. https://thispodcastwillkillyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TPWKY-Episode-29-Aspirin.pdf
  3. https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/ibuprofen/4011375.article
  4. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/bi010045s?ref=article_openPDF
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4355401/ 6. Garret & Grisham Biochemistry Textbook
  6. We want to give a special thanks to Bri McAllister for illustrating molecules for some episodes! Please go check out Bri’s art, follow and support her at entr0pic.artstation.com and @McAllisterBri on twitter!

     

    Thanks to our monthly supporters

    • Scott B
    • Jessie Reder
    • Ciara Linville
    • J0HNTR0Y
    • Jeannette Napoleon
    • Cullyn R
    • Erica Bee
    • Elizabeth P
    • Sarah Moar
    • Rachel Reina
    • Letila
    • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
    • Suzanne Phillips
    • Venus Rebholz
    • Lyn Stubblefield
    • Jacob Taber
    • Brian Kimball
    • Emerson Woodhall
    • Kristina Gotfredsen
    • Timothy Parker
    • Steven Boyles
    • Chris Skupien
    • Chelsea B
    • Bri McAllister
    • Avishai Barnoy
    • Hunter Reardon
    • ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
      ★ Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel ★

      Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

      Watch our episodes on YouTube

      Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife


      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      Chemistry For Your LifeBy Melissa and Jam, Bleav

      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6

      4.6

      294 ratings


      More shows like Chemistry For Your Life

      View all
      Science Quickly by Scientific American

      Science Quickly

      1,381 Listeners

      The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

      The Naked Scientists Podcast

      599 Listeners

      Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

      Nature Podcast

      756 Listeners

      SpaceTime with Stuart Gary by Stuart Gary

      SpaceTime with Stuart Gary

      321 Listeners

      The Quanta Podcast by Quanta Magazine

      The Quanta Podcast

      544 Listeners

      Science Vs by Spotify Studios

      Science Vs

      12,130 Listeners

      Discovery by BBC World Service

      Discovery

      965 Listeners

      BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

      BBC Inside Science

      410 Listeners

      Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

      Science Magazine Podcast

      818 Listeners

      Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

      Unexpected Elements

      363 Listeners

      CrowdScience by BBC World Service

      CrowdScience

      471 Listeners

      Ologies with Alie Ward by Alie Ward

      Ologies with Alie Ward

      24,585 Listeners

      The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week by Popular Science

      The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

      2,184 Listeners

      Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe by iHeartPodcasts

      Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

      2,367 Listeners

      The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

      The Supermassive Podcast

      323 Listeners