SHEET /vs/nifedipine-vs-amlodipine · COMPARISON
Nifedipine vs Amlodipine: what is the difference?
How they differ
Both are dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, built on the same six-membered ring, and both widen arteries by keeping calcium out of the muscle in their walls. The difference that matters is time: amlodipine has a half-life of well over a day, while nifedipine clears within hours, which is why nifedipine is mostly made in slow-release forms. Amlodipine carries a chlorine and a longer side chain, C20H25ClN2O5 at 408.9, while nifedipine carries a nitro group, C17H18N2O6 at 346.3. Nifedipine came first, in the 1970s, and amlodipine followed in the late 1980s to become one of the most prescribed medicines in the world. Both are prescription medicines, sold as Adalat and Procardia, and as Norvasc.
Side by side
| Nifedipine | Amlodipine | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | C17H18N2O6 | C20H25ClN2O5 |
| Molecular weight | 346.3 g/mol | 408.9 g/mol |
| Family | Blood-pressure medicines | Blood-pressure medicines |
| Everyday group | Prescription medicine | Prescription medicine |
| Functional groups | Amines, Aromatics, Esters | Amines, Aromatics, Esters, Ethers, Halogenated |
| GHS signal wordThe supplier-filed hazard label, not a statement about ordinary use. | Warning | Danger |
| Oral LD50A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | 1,022 mg/kg (oral, rat) | not recorded |
| CAS number | 21829-25-4 | 88150-42-9 |
| PubChem CID | 4485 | 2162 |
Structural similarity 0.42 of 1, computed as a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Common questions
- What is the difference between Nifedipine and Amlodipine?
- Both are dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, built on the same six-membered ring, and both widen arteries by keeping calcium out of the muscle in their walls. The difference that matters is time: amlodipine has a half-life of well over a day, while nifedipine clears within hours, which is why nifedipine is mostly made in slow-release forms. Amlodipine carries a chlorine and a longer side chain, C20H25ClN2O5 at 408.9, while nifedipine carries a nitro group, C17H18N2O6 at 346.3.
- Is Nifedipine bigger than Amlodipine?
- Amlodipine is the heavier molecule, 408.9 g/mol against 346.3 g/mol for Nifedipine. Nifedipine is C17H18N2O6 and Amlodipine is C20H25ClN2O5.
Read the full records: Nifedipine and Amlodipine.