Anesthetics diethyl ether

When the word ether is mentioned, most people think of the well-known anesthetic, diethyl ether. There are many ethers. Their uses range from artificial flavorings to refrigerants and solvents. An ether is a compound in which an O atom is bonded to two organic groups. 

Because diethyl ether (commonly known simply as ether) is a short-lived muscle relaxant, it has been widely used as an inhalation anesthetic. However, because it takes effect slowly and has a slow and unpleasant recovery period, other compounds, such as enflurane, isoflurane, and halothane, have replaced ether as an anesthetic. Diethyl ether is still used where there is a lack of trained anesthesiologists, since it is the safest anesthetic to administer by untrained hands. Anesthetics interact with the nonpolar molecules of cell membranes, causing the membranes to swell, which interferes with their permeability. 

Ethers are unreactive, being stable to a variety of acids, bases, and oxidizing agents. This lack of reactivity makes ethers useful as solvents for carrying out reactions of other organic compounds. Diethyl ether has been used in the past as an anesthetic. Diethyl ether has a tendency to explode and other compounds, such as l-bromo-l-chloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane, are now used. 

Carbon tetrachloride is toxic by inhalation of its vapor and oral intake of the Hquid. Inhalation of the vapor constitutes the principal ha2ard. Exposure to excessive levels of vapor is characterized by two types of response an anesthetic effect similar to that caused by compounds such as diethyl ether and chloroform and organic injury to the tissues of certain organs, in particular the Hver and kidneys. This type of injury may not become evident until 1—10 days after exposure. The nature of the effect is deterrnined largely by the vapor concentration but the extent or severity of the effect is deterrnined principaHy by the duration of exposure (38). 

Diethyl ether [60-29-7] is one of the more important members of the ether family. It is a colorless, very volatile, highly flammable Hquid with a sweet, pungent odor and burning taste. As a commercial product it is available in several grades it is used in chemical manufacture, as a solvent, extractant, or reaction medium, and as a general anesthetic. 

The toxic effect depends both on lipid and blood solubility. I his will be illustrated with an example of anesthetic gases. The solubility of dinitrous oxide (N2O) in blood is very small therefore, it very quickly saturates in the blood, and its effect on the central nervous system is quick, but because N,0 is not highly lipid soluble, it does not cause deep anesthesia. Halothane and diethyl ether, in contrast, are very lipid soluble, and their solubility in the blood is also high. Thus, their saturation in the blood takes place slowly. For the same reason, the increase of tissue concentration is a slow process. On the other hand, the depression of the central nervous system may become deep, and may even cause death. During the elimination phase, the same processes occur in reverse order. N2O is rapidly eliminated whereas the elimination of halothane and diethyl ether is slow. In addition, only a small part of halothane and diethyl ether are eliminated via the lungs. They require first biotransformation and then elimination of the metabolites through the kidneys into the... 

Consider the following data for the vapor pressure of diethyl ether, a widely used anesthetic in the early days of surgery. 

The only ether that you are likely to encounter in the laboratory is diethyl ether, often referred to simply as ether. It was first used as an anesthetic in the 1840s. Today we use other compounds for that purpose, for at least a couple of reasons. For one thing ether vapor is... 

This reaction is run by heating the alcohol in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid, a good dehydrating agent. Diethyl ether, CH,CH2OCH2CH3, was formerly used as an anesthetic in surgery, but it caused undesirable side effects in many patients, and was replaced by other types of agents. 

The distribution of anesthetic throughout the entire body may be viewed as an equilibration process (Fig. 7.1.13), with tissues characterized by high blood flows reaching equilibration faster than muscle and fatJ4 Nevertheless, an anesthetic that is excessively soluble in blood will not partition substantially into brain and other tissues. The anesthetic properties of nitrous oxide and diethyl ether have been known since the 1840s. Zeneca Pharmaceuticals introduced the first modem inhalation anesthetic fluothane in 1957. Methoxyfluorane followed in 1960, enflurane 1973, isoflurane 1981, desflurane by Anaquest (Liberty Comer, NJ) in 1992, and sevoflurane by Abbott Laboratories in 1995J6 ... 

Diethyl ether was first used as a surgical anesthetic by C. W. Long of Jefferson, Georgia, in 1842 and shortly after by J. C. Waren of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. 

Chenoweth, M.B., Leong, B.K.X, Sparschu, G.L. and Torkelson, T.R. (1972). Toxicities of methoxyflurane, halothane and diethyl ether in laboratory animals on repeated inhalation at subanesthetic concentrations. In Cellular Biology and Toxicity of Anesthetics (Fink, B.R., Ed.). Williams Wilkins, Baltimore, pp. 275-284. 

By-products often mixed -with the ethyl alcohol are diethyl ether (an anesthetic) and acetaldehyde, both of which can be easily hydrogenated to ethyl alcohol. 

Synonyms Aether AI3-24233 Anaesthetic ether Anesthesia ether Anesthetic ether Diethyl ether Diethyl oxide EINECS 200-467-2 Ether Ethoxyethane Ethyl oxide NSC 100036 l,l -0 Qr-bis(ethane) RCRA waste number U117 Solvent ether Sulfuric ether UN 1155. 

The earliest inhaled general anesthetic that found significant use is chloroform, CHCI3, more systematically trichloromethane, a simple derivative of methane. Chloroform was gradually replaced by diethyl ether, commonly known simply as ether, a safer and more effective molecule than chloroform. 

Diethyl ether was the inhalation anesthetic of choice during my childhood. Happily, 1 had rather little need of it. Ether was replaced years ago by a family of superior inhaled general anesthetics, most of which are ethane derivatives. The notable exception is another very simple molecule, nitrous oxide, N2O, frequently known as laughing gas. N2O has been around for a long time and was once a party drug. ... 

Diethyl ether is publicly used as a general anesthetic. 

Diethyl ether is the systematic name for the ether historically used as an anesthetic. 

Many ethers, including diethyl ether, are effective as general anesthetics. Because simple ethers are quite flammable, their place in medical practice has been taken by highly halogenated nonflammable ethers. Two such general anesthetic agents are isoflurane and enflurane. These compounds are isomeric isoflurane is l-chloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether enflurane is 2-chloro-l,l,2-trifluoroethyl difluoromethyl ether. Write the structural formulas of isoflurane and enflurane. 

Self-Test C.1B Draw the structural formulas of (a) 2-methyl-l-butanethiol, CH3CH2CH(CH3)CH2SH, which is used to synthesize organic compounds and (b) diethyl ether (13), which has been used as a surgical anesthetic. 

Diethyl ether (C4H10O), the "ether" used medically as an anesthetic, is prepared commercially by treatment of ethyl alcohol (C2HfiO) with an acid. How many grams of diethyl ether would you obtain from 40.0 g of ethyl alcohol if the percent yield of the reaction is 87% ... 

The familiar "ether" used as an anesthetic agent is diethyl ether, C4HioO. Its heat of vaporization is +26.5 kj/mol at its boiling point. How much energy (in kilojoules) is required to convert 100 mL of diethyl ether at its boiling point from liquid to vapor if its density is 0.7138 g/mL ... 

Diethyl ether, used as an anesthetic, is synthesized by heating ethanol with concentrated sulfuric acid. Write the equilibrium constant expression for Kc. 

Ethers can be viewed as derivatives of water in which both hydrogens are replaced by organic substituents. They are fairly inert chemically and so are often used as reaction solvents. Diethyl ether, the most common member of the ether family, was used for many years as a surgical anesthetic agent but has now been replaced by safer nonflammable alternatives. 

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