The Invention and Development of Enflurane, Isoflurane, Sevoflurane, and Desflurane

Abstract

Thirty-six halogenated Me Et ethers have been synthesized for evaluation as volatile anesthetics. Eleven of the ethers were too unstable to test, and, of the remaining 25, 13 had promising anesthetic properties in mice and are suitable for study in larger animals. Those ethers having one H with at least 2 halogens other than F or 2 or more H with at least one Br or Cl were the best anesthetics.

An efficient DFT method of predicting the one-, two- and three-bond indirect spin–spin coupling constants involving a fluorine nucleus in fluoroalkanes

“…3 Moreover, many uoro derivatives are biologically active substances and are used in medicine as important drugs or anesthetics. 4 Some uorocompounds are highly toxic and, unfortunately, have been used as chemical weapons (sarin, soman) or their components. At the same time, uorocompounds are very interesting objects for NMR investigations owing to 100% natural abundance of 19 F isotope, the nucleus of which possesses 1/2 spin and high magnetic moment.…”

Adverse Drug Reactions With Halogenated Anesthetics

“… Problems with organ toxicity from the halogenated volatile anesthetics have influenced clinical practice, anesthetic selection, and drug development for half a century 1 , 2 . In turn, investigations that elucidated the mechanisms of volatile anesthetics adverse effects identified new mechanisms, provided remarkable insights into human toxicology, and represented seminal contributions to clinical pharmacology.…”

Sense and Insensibility – An Appraisal of the Effects of Clinical Anesthetics on Gastropod and Cephalopod Molluscs as a Step to Improved Welfare of Cephalopods

“…Over short period from 1956, when halothane was clinically introduced, the non-flammable volatile anesthetics (Terrell, 2008), which are halogenated ethers, gradually replaced flammable volatiles such as trichloroethylene, diethyl ether and cyclopropane previously in clinical use. Volatile anesthetics are toxic, relatively insoluble, with a low therapeutic index and it is essential to do experimental work in the clinically useful range.…”