The periodic table of medicine

In this article we discuss the chemistry, pharmacology and therapeutics of a range of medicines that contain in their formulation a key element from the periodic table. The elements we discuss may be in their ionic or atomic form, or may be integral to the functioning of a much larger drug molecule, but in each case we explore how that element’s fundamental chemistry can be exploited to treat a number of life-threatening or quality-of-life-threatening diseases.