646 
Chloretone. 
f  Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
*-     October,  1919. 
As  an  anesthetic  for  the  mucous  membrane,  therefore,  it  is  even 
better  than  cocaine,  and  in  its  direct  action  on  the  exposed  nerve  as 
on  the  sciatic  nerve,  the  anesthesia  is  as  prompt  and  as  lasting  as 
that  of  cocaine. 
It  fails,  however,  to  replace  cocaine  because  of  its  low  solubility. 
It  is  precipitated  in  the  tissues  and  is  rather  irritating  and  ineffective 
on  that  account.  Its  local  action  on  the  sense  of  taste  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  its  rather  bitter  disagreeable  taste  is  only  momentary 
in  the  mouth  but  when  the  solution  reaches  the  throat  the  objection- 
able taste  is  again  evident. 
Aside  from  the  wide  applicability  of  chloretone  as  a  general  an- 
esthetic, its  most  valuable  property  is  as  a  germicide  and  antiseptic, 
the  properties  essential  in  a  preservative.  If  the  "  bone-dry  "  legis- 
lation keeps  on,  chloretone  will  be  one  of  the  few  preservatives  left 
for  organic  medicinals. 
Germicidal. — As  a  germicide  it  has  a  phenol  coefficient  of  1.2, 
that  is,  when  tested  by  the  Hygienic  Laboratory  method  of  evaluating 
disinfectants  it  as  as  effective  in  0.8  per  cent,  solution  or  1-120,  as 
phenol  diluted  1  in  100,  that  is,  a  culture  of  B.  typhosus  is  killed 
when  exposed  to  the  action  of  either  of  these  two  disinfectants  for 
two  minutes. 
Tests  by  the  A.  P.  H.  A.  Phenol  Coefficient  method10  are  given 
for  chloretone  and  phenol. 
For  an  antiseptic  test  the  two  latter  organisms  were  inoculated 
in  medium  saturated  with  chloretone.  In  no  case  was  growth  ob- 
served over  a  period  of  three  weeks.  Tested  against  other  more 
resistant  organisms  it  is  found  that  in  most  cases  to  be  effective  it 
requires  a  longer  time  than  a  disinfectant  can  be  expected  to  act  and 
therefore  that  it  must  be  classed  as  a  preservative  or  antiseptic 
rather  than  a  germicide.  For  this  purpose,  with  but  few  exceptions, 
it  is  ideal ;  even  the  highly  resistant  hay  bacillus,  B.  subtilis,  fails  to 
develop  in  a  solution  saturated  with  chloretone.  In  some  instances 
where  the  solution  is  an  exceptionally  good  medium  for  the  growth 
of  bacteria  it  requires  more  than  4  days  to  become  sterile,  but  evi- 
dence of  growth  is  not  apparent.  It  is  absolutely  essential  that  the 
container  be  closed  against  the  volatilization  of  the  chloretone  and  a 
full  container  is  advisable  because  of  the  tendency  of  chloretone  to 
crystallize  on  the  walls  above  the  solution.  This  may  be  due  to 
supersaturation  but  if  so  it  is  a  condition  to  be  retained  if  possible. 
