A barbiturate drug (also called thiopental) that was used as an anesthetic and sedative, and infamously as a 'truth serum.'
From penta- (five) + thio- (sulfur) + -al (chemical suffix). The name refers to its chemical structure containing five carbon atoms and a sulfur compound. It was synthesized in Germany in 1934 and widely used in medicine before being controlled due to abuse potential.
Pentothal was marketed as a 'truth serum' during WWII and the Cold War, but science proved it doesn't actually force truth-telling—just makes people uninhibited and confabulate (make up false memories), a perfect example of how myth beats facts in popular culture.
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