Citation noticeOur citation system is being overhauled
References and citation markers may currently be incomplete, mismatched, or incorrect. This system is being rebuilt and reviewed before the full site launch.
Chloroform
Chloroform is a colorless liquid with a pleasant odor and the formula CHCl31. Its psychoactive classification remains uncertain, although it is tentatively categorized as a depressant. Several investigators synthesized it independently around 18312; it was historically used to induce and maintain medical anesthesia, but this use was abandoned because it caused hepatic damage and deaths due to respiratory and cardiac arrhythmias and failure3. It is also a common solvent4 and industrial precursor.5
Dosage & Duration
Duration
Subjective Effects
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
Chloroform acts as a positive allosteric modulator of GABA-A receptors, enhancing inhibitory central nervous system signaling. This produces general anesthetic and sedative effects, with CNS depression progressing to deep unconsciousness and respiratory-center depression at sufficient exposure.
Pharmacokinetics
Chloroform is well absorbed after oral,6 inhaled,6 or exposure through the skin6 and is metabolized and eliminated rapidly in mammals.7 Hepatic cytochrome P-450 enzymes metabolize it by oxidation6 . In renal-cortex microsomes of DBA/2J mice, anoxic conditions resulted in reductive chloroform metabolism6. Elimination occurs primarily through the lungs as chloroform and carbon dioxide,6 while less than 1% is excreted in urine;6 carbon dioxide is the final product of chloroform's aerobic metabolic pathway.6
Interactions
An unlisted combination is an unknown one, not a safe one. Check a dedicated combination chart before mixing.
Tolerance
Harm Potential
Addiction & Dependence
Psychological
LowClassified as habit-forming, though limited documentation exists on psychological addiction patterns specific to chloroform use.
Toxicity
Chloroform has a pronounced tendency to cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias, a phenomenon analogous to 'sudden sniffer's death' that led to its abandonment as an anesthetic; this risk is present even at doses intended for anesthesia.
Chloroform exposure can cause severe hepatotoxicity including liver necrosis and degeneration; following anesthesia, patients have experienced jaundice, hyperthermia, and coma due to hepatic dysfunction.
Nephrotoxicity has been documented as a consequence of chloroform exposure.
Respiratory failure has occurred following chloroform-induced anesthesia and contributed to deaths during its historical use as an anesthetic.
Chloroform is suspected of causing cancer and is classified as possibly carcinogenic (IARC Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
History & Culture
Legality
By Country
United StatesRestrictedReferences
Citations
Article Status
Step 1 · Automated synthesisAn autonomous workflow built by Josie Kins compiled this article's foundation from information published across the web.
- Step 2 · First-pass reviewPending
Not yet reviewed: this article is pending editorial review by Lyrea.
- Step 3 · Citation reviewPending
No one has reviewed this article's citations yet. That second pass checks each claim against the source it cites.
Suggest an edit
Spotted a mistake, an outdated claim, or something missing from the Chloroform article? Send the editors a private note. Feedback lands in a moderation queue and is never shown on the site.
Wish to give generalised feedback? You can do so here.
