CHEM 121 glossary
Lead optimization
The stage in which chemists make and test small structural changes to a lead compound to improve its potency, selectivity, stability and absorption and to reduce its toxicity.
Aspirin: the highlighted acetyl ester replaces the –OH of salicylic acid.
Example
Replacing a C–H bond that the liver attacks with a much stronger C–F bond is a common way to make a drug last longer in the body.