Latest revision as of 02:34, 5 March 2021
A pharmaceutical company is testing four new drugs in the same class; all are
weak acids. Which of the following is likely to have the most rapid onset of action
at physiologic pH?
a) pKa = 3
b) pKa = 5
c) pKa = 7
d) pKa = 9
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Answer
Answer d.
Weak acids may exist as either A- or as HA species. Based on the
Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, a weak acid with a pKa above the present pH
would be more likely to be found in the non-ionized HA form (and thus cross
membranes and have a shorter onset of action) than one with a pKa below pH.
Thus, a drug with pKa of 9 would have the fastest onset at physiologic pH (7.4) of
the available choices.
Notes
- This question originally printed in the Pediatric Anesthesiology Review Topics kindle book series, and appears courtesy of Naerthwyn Press, LLC.
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