THE COMPARATIVE TOXICITY OF CHLORAL ALCOHOLATE AND CHLORAL HYDRATE

¹ From the Department of Pharmacology, Emorg University, Georgia, and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Albany Medical College, Union University, Albany, New York

The hypnotic potencies, acute toxicities, and chronic toxicities of 4% aqueous solutions of chloral alcoholate and chloral hydrate administered to rats by stomach tube have been compared. Additional limited observations of acute toxicity were made also on rabbits, cats, and dogs.

The qualitative responses to these solutions were indistinguishable, but quantitatively, in all species, the solution of chloral alcoholate was slightly weaker in its depressant action than that of chloral hydrate. In rats, according to this method of comparison, the LD₅₀ for chloral alcoholate was 0.88 grams per kgm.; for chloral hydrate 0.80 grams per kgm. Cats were observed to be markedly more susceptible to the depressant action of these solutions than any of the other species.

On the basis of available evidence and the data of this study there appears to be no support for the widespread impression that solutions containing alcohol and chloral hydrate are particularly depressant because of the formation of chloral alcoholate as an especially toxic compound.