title: Decomposition of volatile anesthetics in soda lime.
abstract: Soda lime mediated decomposition products of volatile anesthetics--halothane, enflurane, isoflurane and sevoflurane--and the degree of degradation, toxicity and concentration in an anesthetic circuit equipped with a model lung are described. These anesthetics undergo decomposition by soda lime as follows: halothane decomposes to yield difluorochlorobromoethylene and trifluorochloroethane; enflurane decomposes to yield l-chloro-l,2-difluorovinyl difluoromethyl ether; isoflurane decomposes to yield 2,2-difluoro-l-chlorovinyl difluoromethyl ether and fluoroform; sevoflurane decomposes to yield fluoromethyl 2,2-difluoro-l-(trifluoromethyl)vinyl ether, fluoromethyl 2-methyl-2,2-difluoro-l-(difluoromethylene)ethyl ether, two isomers of fluoromethyl 2-methoxy-2-fluoro-l-(trifluoromethyl)vinyl ether and fluoromethyl 2,2-difluoro-l-(difluoromethoxy ethyl)vinyl ether. Almost all degraded compounds of these volatile anesthetics are produced by elimination of hydrofluoride from adjacent carbon atoms by soda lime.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujii
mesh_terms: D000777:Anesthetics / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D017610:Calcium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics; D017610:Calcium Compounds; D010087:Oxides; C004569:soda lime; D012972:Sodium Hydroxide