Butyrochloral

/ˌbjuːtəroʊˈklɔːrəl/ noun

Definition

A chemical compound formed by the reaction of butyraldehyde and chloral, historically used in medicine as a sedative.

Etymology

From butyro- (butyraldehyde) + chloral (a sedative chemical). The compound name describes its chemical composition and synthesis.

Kelly Says

Butyrochloral was part of the pharmaceutical arms race of the 1800s-1900s when chemists kept inventing new sleep drugs, each supposedly better than the last—most are now forgotten or banned due to safety issues.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.