The drugs Prilosec and Nexium both contain the same active ingredient. Nexium contains a single enantiomer, but Prilosec is a racemic mixture. Which of the following is probably true regarding 20 mg doses of the two different drugs?
A) Both drugs will be equally effective.
B) Both drugs can be prepared using the same synthetic procedure.
C) Nexium will be more effective than Prilosec.
D) Prilosec will be more effective than Nexium.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nexium will likely be more effective than Prilosec because it contains only the active enantiomer (the "right-handed" version) of the molecule, while Prilosec contains both the active and inactive enantiomers (a mixture of both "right-handed" and "left-handed" versions). This means that the same dose of Nexium will have a higher concentration of the active enantiomer compared to Prilosec, and therefore may be more effective. The fact that they contain the same active ingredient does not necessarily mean they can be prepared using the same synthetic procedure.

The Drugs Prilosec and Nexium Both Contain the Same Active