A class of sedative-hypnotic drugs that depress the central nervous system by enhancing GABA activity, once commonly used for anxiety and sleep disorders but now largely replaced by safer alternatives. Still used for anesthesia and seizure control.
Named after barbituric acid, discovered by Adolf von Baeyer in 1864, reportedly named after Saint Barbara or a woman named Barbara he knew. The suffix '-ate' indicates a salt or ester of the acid.
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