Question

Which of the following represents analgesics?
A. Equanil
B. Quinine
C. Novalgin
D. Penicillium

Answer 1

If we look at the definition of analgesics, they are a class of drugs used to reduce or abolish pain, without causing impairment of consciousness, mental confusion, or some other disturbance of the nervous system. In short, they are painkillers.

Complete step by step solution:
To get to our answer let’s breakdown each of the options according to their properties or usages.
I. Equanil is a relieving drug that belongs to the class tranquilizers, which are used for the treatment of stress and other mental diseases. Equanil is used as a short term treatment for anxiety, controlling depression, and hypertension. The molecular formula for Equanil is ${{\text{C}}_9}{{\text{H}}_{18}}{{\text{N}}_2}{{\text{O}}_4}$ . Therefore, option ‘A’ is not correct.
II. Quinine is a bitter compound that is found in the bark of the Cinchona tree. It is a medicinal drug used to treat malaria and babesiosis. And the molecular formula for Quinine is ${{\text{C}}_{20}}{{\text{H}}_{24}}{{\text{N}}_2}{{\text{O}}_2}$Therefore, the option ‘B’ is also incorrect.
III. Penicillium is one of the most famous antibiotic drugs (bactericidal), it is used to treat different types of infections. It is derived from a fungus. The chemical formula for penicillium is ${{\text{C}}_{16}}{{\text{H}}_{18}}{{\text{N}}_2}{{\text{O}}_5}{\text{S}}$. It is a bactericidal drug hence it is not the correct answer.
IV. Novalgin is the only option left, therefore this must be the answer. But let’s see how. Novalgin is a painkiller and anti-inflammatory drug, it blocks certain chemical messengers that are the cause of the pain or the inflammation (redness and swelling). The molecular formula for Novalgin is ${{\text{C}}_{13}}{{\text{H}}_{16}}{{\text{N}}_3}{\text{Na}}{{\text{O}}_4}{\text{S}}$

Therefore, option (C) is our correct answer.

Note: Analgesics and tranquilizers both have a similar meaning but are not the same. They differ in their actions. Tranquilizers are used to relieve a person from mental pain and disease, while analgesics are used for physical pain (internal body).