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Chemistry in Medicine

Silver nitrate and cisplatin

  • 3 things to know
  • Unit A2 2

Overview

Recall questions on why silver nitrate treats bacterial eye infection and why it must be dilute, how silver ions kill bacteria and why the solution stains skin, why it has been superseded, what cisplatin is and its square planar shape, how it binds DNA and why the chlorides must be cis, and why its side effects are severe.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Why is silver nitrate used in the treatment of eye disease?

Key term

What eye condition was silver nitrate historically used to prevent?

Key term

Why must a silver nitrate solution used on the eye be very dilute?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why is silver nitrate used in the treatment of eye disease?

    Model answer

    Silver ions are toxic to bacteria, so a dilute solution kills the organisms causing an infection.

  2. 2

    What eye condition was silver nitrate historically used to prevent?

    Model answer

    Bacterial conjunctivitis in newborn babies, acquired during birth.

  3. 3

    Why must the solution be very dilute?

    Model answer

    Silver nitrate is corrosive, and a concentrated solution would damage the eye it was applied to.

  4. 4

    How do silver ions kill bacteria?

    Model answer

    They bind to proteins and enzymes in the bacterial cell, changing their shape so that they no longer work.

  5. 5

    Why does silver nitrate solution stain the skin black?

    Model answer

    Light reduces the silver ions to metallic silver, which is deposited as a dark film.

  6. 6

    Why has silver nitrate largely been replaced for this use?

    Model answer

    Antibiotic preparations are more effective against a wider range of organisms and do not irritate the eye.

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