CHIRAL MOLECULES---PENICILLIN

Today, the use of penicillin and other antibiotics are common place. The various antibiotics are used to treat a number of what are now common diseases and to prevent the onset of infections when our skin, our first barrier to fight off disease, is somehow broken through a simple cut or a more serious wound. However, many diseases and simple wounds that are so easily treated today because of the availability of antibiotics has not always been available. Antibiotics are a relatively recent discovery and the first practical one, penicillin, was not available until the early 1940s. Penicillin’s are natural product that  were the first antibiotics used in clinical practice. They are based on the original penicillin- G structure and inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis; and are generally bactericidal. These products are effective against gram positive bacteria such as staphylococci, streptococci, syphilis, and gram negative bacteria such as meningococci, Treponema, Borrelia and Leptospira. The most common side effect of penicillin is diarrhea. Also, nausea , vomiting , and upset stomach can been seen as well. Moreover, the stereochemistry on penicillin indicate how diverse the compound is and it reveals its importance. 

The carbon numbered 2 is S, carbon 5 is R and carbon 6 is S 

Reference:

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect21b.htm