Medicinal chemistry

Medicinal chemistry is like cooking, but instead of making food, scientists make medications. Just like a chef carefully selects ingredients to make a tasty dish, medicinal chemists select certain molecules to make into medicines that can treat diseases.

But instead of using things like salt and pepper, medicinal chemists use atoms and molecules. These tiny things are like building blocks that chemists can fit together in different ways to make the medicine they need.

Think of it like building with LEGOs. You have a bunch of different pieces, and you need to put them together in the right way to make something cool. Medicinal chemists do something similar, but instead of LEGOs, they use atoms and molecules to build a medicine that can help people feel better.

But it's not as easy as just throwing some things together and hoping for the best. It takes a lot of time and careful planning to make sure the medicine works properly and doesn't harm the person taking it. Scientists have to test the medicine over and over again to make sure it's safe and effective.

So, in short, medicinal chemistry is like building a puzzle, but instead of putting pieces together, scientists use atoms and molecules to create medicines that help people feel better.