Page 133 - Encyclopedia of Chemical Compounds 3 Vols

AMOXICILLIN

semisynthetic means that some stages in the preparation of
Amoxicillin. Red atoms are the compound make use of naturally-occurring organisms,
oxygen; white atoms
are hydrogen; black atoms are such as bacteria or yeast, and some stages involve chemical
carbon; blue atoms are synthesis. Preparation of the aminopenicillins begins with
nitrogen; and green atom the antibiotic penicillin itself, usually made by one of the
is sulfur. Gray sticks are double
molds in the Penicillium family, such as Penicillium chryso-
bonds; striped sticks show a
genum or Penicillium notatum. The penicillin molecule is
benzene ring. PU BL I S HERS
RESOURCE GRO U P then modified by the addition of a hydroxyl, methyl, or some
other group. Other semisynthetic antibiotics related to amox-
icillin and penicillin are ampicillin, benzylpenicillin (penicil-
lin G), and phenoxymethylpenicillin (penicillin V).
Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming (1881–1955)
discovered penicillin in 1928. The antibiotic was first produced
for human use in the early 1940s. Over time, researchers

82 CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS