Pharmaceutical chemistry is one of the most active branches of applied chemistry, although much of the research in general chemistry and other biological and physical sciences are useful to it. Pharmaceutical chemistry concentrates on the chemical composition and properties of drugs and other medicinal substances. All of the substances that appear in the National Formulary and the U.S. Pharmacopeia are the result, at least in part, of efforts in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry.

It is impossible to underestimate the importance of this branch of chemistry to the welfare of all humans and animals. The discipline has produced innumerable substances crucial to preventative, therapeutic, and diagnostic purposes. For instance, pharmaceutical chemistry was behind the discovery that alcohol can be converted to ether, a highly effective anesthetic. Likewise, the science helped to give us lifesaving treatments from such natural substances as insulin (diabetes), penicillin (infections), thyroid...