One of the most important scientific discoveries was penicillin. Research the discovery of penicillin, what produces this drug, and provide the specifics of its action. After addressing these points, create a brief argument either for or against the ranking of discovery of penicillin as the most important medical breakthrough thus far in medicine.
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Step 1: Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 by accident when he noticed inhibited bacterial growth around a mold contaminating a petri dish. Show more…
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Penicillin was the first antibiotic used by doctors and is still one of the most widely used antibiotics. Mechanism of Action: Penicillins inhibit bacterial growth by: Binding to the 50S subunit and interfering with ribosomes. Binding to the 30S subunit and interfering with ribosomes. Interfering with the bacterial cell wall synthesis in replicating microorganisms. Inhibiting folate synthesis and DNA synthesis.
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Penicillin kills bacteria, thus saving the lives of thousands of people who otherwise might die of infectious diseases. Penicillin causes allergic reactions in some people, which can lead to death if the resulting condition is not treated. Do a risk-benefit analysis of the use of penicillin by society as a whole.
Some bacteria are resistant to the antibiotic penicillin because they produce penicillinase, an enzyme with a molecular weight of $3 \times 10^{4} {g} / {mol}$ that converts penicillin into inactive molecules. Although the kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions can be complex, at low concentrations this reaction can be described by a rate equation that is first order in the catalyst (penicillinase) and that also involves the concentration of penicillin. From the following data: 1.0 L of a solution containing 0.15 µg $(0.15 \times 10^{-6} {g})$ of penicillinase, determine the order of the reaction with respect to penicillin and the value of the rate constant.
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