This course will describe how medicinal compounds are discovered from diverse sources. The use of organic chemistry to modify lead compounds will first be studied, with a particular emphasis on the optimization of the molecular structure to overcome undesired pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic properties. The students will then be introduced to modern methods of chiral synthesis for the production of enantiomeric molecules. Finally, a review of the various methods used to resolve racemic mixtures will be provided. PREREQ: CHMI 2427. (lec 3) cr 3.