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cyclopropane
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anesthesia
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Also called:
trimethylene
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cyclopropane

chemical compound
Also known as: trimethylene
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anesthesia
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cyclopropane, explosive, colourless gas used in medicine since 1934 as a general anesthetic. Cyclopropane is nonirritating to mucous membranes and does not depress respiration. Induction of and emergence from cyclopropane anesthesia are usually rapid and smooth. A mixture of about 5 to 20 percent cyclopropane in oxygen is administered by inhalation. Because of the flammability and expense of cyclopropane, it is usually used in a closed (rebreathing) system, in which an absorbent chemical, such as soda lime, removes exhaled carbon dioxide, and the anesthetic is recirculated. The chemical formula is C3H6.