ETHYL CHLORIDE

also called Chloroethane, colourless, flammable, mobile liquid of low boiling point, belonging to the family of organic halogen compounds and principally used in the manufacture of tetraethyl lead; it has uses as a solvent, a refrigerant, and an anesthetic and in the production of other organic chemicals. For use in medicine as an anesthetic, it is prepared from hydrogen chloride and ethyl alcohol; its chemical formula is C2H5Cl. Although a gas at room temperature, ethyl chloride is stored and sold under pressure in glass bottles fitted with trigger-controlled spray nozzles as a colourless, mobile liquid with a sweet, burning taste and a characteristic odour resembling that of ether. It has been used as a local anesthetic for small incisions, tooth extractions, and needle punctures by spraying it on the surface of the skin or mucous membrane in a fine stream, with particular care that the end of the spray stream is focused upon the point to be frozen. Its rapid evaporation causes local freezing (-35 C can be obtained). As a general anesthetic, it is usually given in doses of 3 to 5 cubic cm in a closed inhaler. Short administrations produce an anesthesia similar to that of nitrous oxide, with equally rapid loss of consciousness, quick recovery, and slight aftereffects. It is suitable only for short operations because it does not produce the desired muscular relaxation effected by chloroform for protracted operations. Ethyl chloride has been recommended for anesthesia of short duration because it is less dangerous than, and as satisfactory as, nitrous oxide. Its effect on the circulatory and respiratory systems is slightly stimulating, causing slight acceleration of the pulse rate and deeper and more rapid breathing. Pure ethyl chloride boils at 12.3C (54.1F) and freezes at -138.7C (-217.7F); it dissolves freely in alcohol, ether, and other organic solvents but only slightly in water. Preparation of tetraethyl lead is based on the reaction of ethyl chloride with an alloy of sodium and lead, forming sodium chloride as a by-product. Ethylcellulose, a component of lacquers and plastics, is made from ethyl chloride and cellulose.