Question

Why chemically did the prescribing of thalidomide for morning sickness in pregnant women lead to tragic consequences, including teratogenic effects?

Answer 1

Answer:

See explanation

Explanation:

The drug thalidomide with molecular formula C13H10N2O4 was widely prescribed by doctors for morning sickness in pregnant women in the 1960s.

The drug was sold as a racemic mixture  (+)(R)-thalidomide and (-)(S)-thalidomide.

Unfortunately, only the  (+)(R)-thalidomide exhibited the required effect while (-)(S)-thalidomide is a teratogen.

This goes a long way to underscore the importance of separation of enantiomers in drug production.

Therefore, all the teratogenic effects observed when using the drug thalidomide was actually as a result of the presence of (-)(S)-thalidomide, the unwanted enantiomer.