Chemical properties of chloroform

[Aerlinn]

Chloroform and ether quickly induce unconsciousness. What chemical property do they have which explains their rapid absorption and thus rapid effect?

[victor]

CHCl3 and CH3-O-CH3 both are volatile substances so, they result unconsciousness if they're inhaled in high dose.....maybe they inhibit the nerves' signal impulses..

[Dr.Stein]

When we spill chloroform on hand it feels cold... Please provide me an aswer, big Vic

[Aerlinn]

Would they be substances that can pass through membranes really easily, thus the rapid effect?

[Dr.Stein]

Chloroform is a good solvent for fat, maybe it is why it can pass through membane very easily.

[victor]

When we spill chloroform on hand it feels cold... Please provide me an aswer, big Vic ;)

What do you mean by that?? is there any little Victor here, there and everywhare??

Chloroform in normal condition is actually like ethanol, which is liquid phase (that's why chloroform is very volatile till it can make you sleep like a baby). The good thing is, chloroform has a high specific heat so it can absorbs much heat. When we pour it on our hand, the phenomenon is like that, chloroform absorbs the heat from our hand so much, thus our hands loss so much heat in a little time and that is interpated as "cold" sensation in our brain...
so, next time in dry season and you fell very hot, try to pour chloroform or ethanol all over your body..you'll get chilled out..

[victor]

Do you got my point boss? because my english is not a good one..

[biolog]

if we go through the cell membrane and see it in details we can watch the membrane gates which make the molecule transport in-out side of cell enviorement. So the chlorophorm is a chemical products which indicate in the blood vesels an make them narrow and reduce the blood level on brain. This is why we fall asleep when we inhilate chlorophorm. Beside that it reduce the pain in pain control center in brain, becasue the Oxygen is not feeding the brain cells and they fall asleep too. Chlorophorm substitute the oxygen and it block the receptors and the activity is reduce. It needs the higher oxygen level to wake up the brain cells and to turn in normal situation.

[Dr.Stein]

Do you got my point boss? because my english is not a good one..

That's a basic physical explanation of heat transfer theory, my dear. Everyone knows that grrr... Why do we feel cold? Why do we feel warm? Naah, it is not my question Ok, I make it clearer, what things make chloroform has a ability to absorb heat? It should have a special structure, right? So what is it? See? Answer now!

[victor]

specific heat my busy bossy:lol:...or we symbolize it in physics as c.
Remember this formula?
in order to count the enthalpy change, you've to use:
delta[H] = m . c . delta[T]
the c is the specific heat. The scale of specific heat determines the heat that can be absorbed to change chloroform from liquid phase into gas phase.
chloroform has low specific heat so it only need a little heat from your body to raise it's temperature and change its form. But, since you poured so many chloroform onto your hand, this mechanism is happening faster than you've thought so, it takes your heat so much.
As it said in physics, loss heat means "cold" interpretation inside your brain...

[Dr.Stein]

Thank you for your explanation, smarty Vicky

When I received your SMS telling about "It deals with number" I sounded like "Oh boy, OK, I think I would not ask you for more, a formula and a bit paragraph of the concept is more than enough to my knowledge. My head is already full of gonadotropic effect right now"

[victor]

Nah, you're the same with my friend...keep calling me Vicky.
Sometimes you've to do some "sports" with those number..