Ritalin

By Isabel McLeod
Structural Formula
N
Molar Mass
C 14 (12)
H 19 (1)
N (14)
O 2 (16)
________
233g/mol N
Built Structure of N
If a prescription reads 1.5% w/v, how many grams of your
medication would be delivered by a 250-cc dosage?

% w/v = g of solute/ mL of solution

0.015 = x/250
3.75g N= x
If a patient ingests 400 mg of medicine, how many
atoms of your specific element are they taking in?
• (400mg N)(1mL N/1000mg N)(1L N/1000mL N)(1 mol N/22.4L N)(14 mol
H/ 1 mol N) (6.022*at/1mol)
= 1.075 *
 In order to
obtain 15 grams
of your element,
what number of
15g H(1 mol H/1g H)(1 molC14H14NO2/14mol H) =
molecules of 1.0714 molecules N
your medicine
must be
ingested by the
patient?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

 Assuming your
medicine can be
delivered orally,
how many cubic
centimeters of a 13L(1g/2000L)(500L/2g)(1000ml/1L) = 1625mL =
2:500 w/v solution 1625cc N

are needed to
prepare 13 Liters of
a 1:2000 w/v
solution?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Find Clark’s Rule and use it to solve this situation. A 6-year-old
child weighs 42 pounds. The adult dose of your medicine is 375
mg. What is the appropriate dosage for the child?
• (Weight* divided by 150 lbs.) x Adult Dose** = Pediatric Dosage
• (42lb/150lb)*375mg = 105mg N
If a patient takes two 200 mg caplets, TID, how many
days will take for the patient to ingest 4.75 moles of your
medication?
• (2*200mg*3days) = 1200mg = 1.2g/day
• 1.2g/day N(1 mole/233g N) = 0.0052 moles N/day
• 4.75moles N/0.0052moles N/day = 913 days
If the half-life of your medication is 8 days and you begin
with a 100 g sample, what mass remains after 40 days?

• (1/ = N
• 40/8 = n = 5
• 100g(1/ = 3.125g
•https://www.inverse.com/article/59494-ol
d-ritalin-advertisements
 • This ad, created in the 1950s, is targeted
Target Market: for psychiatrists who work at mental
asylums and seek to treat elderly patients
Whose message is that are “ chronically depressed,
schizophrenic and psychotic patients, the
this? Who created “mentally retarded,” and patients
recovering from lobotomies”(Smith 2019).
or paid for it? • CIBA Inc., or Chemistry Industry Basel, is
the specialized chemical company that
Why? produced the ad to sell their product.
• The target market is for psychiatrists who
value the health of their patients. The
heading “you can bring patients out of the
corner with Ritalin ” implies that the
consumer takes care of clinically troubled
patients, which is an occupation that
psychiatrists would do (Smith 2019).
 • The ad displays a black and white image of a person huddling
“Text”? to a corner next to a heater on the floor. The heading prints
“You can bring patients ‘out of the corner’ with Ritalin.” The
“Subtext”? copy explains how Ritalin is effective in treating depressive
patients.
Positive • The subtext of the ad reveals that psychiatrists can treat
suffering patients with CIBA’s product, Ritalin.
message? • The positive message presented is the ability for consumers to
Negative? Tools treat suffering patients. The negative message is the image
shown in the ad; it shows the suffering state of a patient that
of persuasion? is yet to be treated with Ritalin.
• The ad manipulates pathos by displaying a depressing image
of a woman lying on the cold hardwood floor in a corner next
to a heater. The black and white colors contribute to the
serious and devastating scene. The ad also uses ethos by
printing the medical institution, CIBA, at the bottom to prove
trust to the audience. Numbers and the formal tone in the
copy that prove Ritalin’s effectiveness creates logos and proves
credibility to the reader.
Lifestyle? Values? • A lonely lifestyle is presented, and it’s glamorized by the black and
white colors of the ad, the coldness of the hardwood floor, and the
Who does it emptiness of a single person occupying a portion of the scene.

empower? • The consumers should value the health and wellness of the suffering
person.
Disempower? • The message of the ad empowers the people who buy the product,
Interest? Story Ritalin, by revealing how psychiatrists, the target market, have the
power to help their patients lead a healthier life.
isn’t told? Where • On the contrast, the message disempowers patients suffering mental
to get more info? illness by revealing their suffering, putting them in a vulnerable light.
• The ad, however, leaves out that Ritalin can only treat the symptoms
but not provide significant improvement, and the side affects could
be worse than the symptoms the patients are already experiencing.
More information about the effects of Ritalin can be found at the
mayo clinic site:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/methylphenidate-or
al-route/side-effects/drg-20068297?p=1
.
Nobel Prize Individual
• Steve S. Lee is a UCLA associate professor of
psychology. He and his team conducted a study
on children who take Ritalin for ADHD to find
out whether they were at a greater risk of
future drug abuse since that was a common
misunderstanding around Ritalin. They found
that there was no association for those
children to develop future abuse of drugs or
alcohol. Lee concluded, “For any particular
child, parents  should consult with the
prescribing physician about potential side
effects and long-term risks” (Wolpert 2013).
Pharmacologist Career Journal
Education/Training Pharmacologists must have a minimum of a Ph.D., Pharm.D. or M.D, or attend a four-year medical program, a five-year doctoral
program, or a four-year pharmacy program. After doctors finish medical school, they must complete a resident then a fellowship.
Required The cost of attending those programs are around $65,000 and $200,000. The University of Sciences in Philadelphia, University of
Delaware, and the University of Illinois are some potential colleges for pharmacology. For undergrad, students must earn a degree
called Pharm D., or a Doctor of Pharmacy from a pharmacy school, which takes four years.

Responsibilities Pharmacologists can work at manufacturing facilities, universities, or labs. It involves meeting doctors and hospital workers, talking
about future drug trials, analyzing trial data, preparing the results and publishing them.
and Daily
Activities

Career Outlook Employment among pharmacologists is to supposed to grow by 6% due to the increased demand for prescription medicine. The
current median income of pharmacologists is $71,216.
and Earning
Potential

Self Reflection After researching the pharmaceutical career, I found that pharmacology could be an interesting career to consider. I admire the way
that pharmacologist prepare and test drugs so that the public can receive them safely and be treated from their illness. I also don’t
mind the years of training and education to become a pharmacologist. I could see myself in this career.
 References
Are children who take Ritalin for ADHD at greater risk of future drug abuse? (2013, May 29).
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/are-children-who-take-ritalin-246186
Browne, C. (n.d.). A day in the life of a pharmacologist. https://woman.thenest.com/day-life-pharmacologist-22592.html
Learn about being a pharmacologist. (n.d.). https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/careers/what-does-a-pharmacologist-do
Old Ritalin advertisements show how it's been marketed over 75 years. (2019, September 24).
https://www.inverse.com/article/59494-old-ritalin-advertisements
Pharmacists : Occupational outlook handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021, June 2).
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm
Pharmacologist salary | PayScale. (n.d.). https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Pharmacologist/Salary
PubChem. (n.d.). Methylphenidate. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Methylphenidate
Want to be a pharmacologist? Here's an overview of this career choice. (2010, August 20).
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-become-a-pharmacologist-1736208#:~:text=Educational%20Requirements%20for%2
0Pharmacologists%20Most%20pharmacologists%20earn%20a,It%27s%20the%20same%20education%20traditional%20pharmac
ists%20go%20through.%29