Drug Design of Therapies and Antidotes for Toxins

The industrial revolution brought many advances in technology it also brought increased problems with pollution and environmental toxins. Humans now live in an environment that is rich in man-made chemicals. Currently, there are more than 65,000 chemicals in common use with approximately 400 new chemicals entering the environment on a yearly basis. Not surprisingly, toxicology may assume a role of increasing importance within the realm of human health. 

The rational design of chelating agents as antidotes requires a careful consideration of acid-base chemistry. Metal ions are Lewis acids, while the chelating agents or ligands are Lewis bases. The concepts of hardness and softness may be used to describe systematically the interaction between them. A hard metal cation is one that retains its 

Drug design for the treatment of toxins is a discipline that is probably still in its infancy. We continue to introduce new chemicals into our environment someday we will be confronted with the health issues that will arise. Currently, antidotes are essentially 

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