The purpose of this investigation is to compare the anesthetic effectiveness of one of the less explosive ethers, trifluoroethyl vinyl ether, with well known ethers.
It is known that halogenation of organic compounds decreases their flammability. The substitution of chlorine atoms in the methane molecule shows progressively decreasing flammability to where the triple and tertiary substituted compounds, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, can be used as fire extinguishers. Halogenation also increases toxicity, e. g., carbon tetrachloride is an anesthetic but lethal at surgical levels. Fluorine has the same property of diminishing flammability in compounds but is less toxic and more stable. Trifluorethyl vinyl ether (Fluoromar) is a colorless liquid having a pleasant, sweetish odor. The physical properties of the ethers used in these studies are given in Table 1.
In studies of trifluorethyl vinyl ether by Krantz and co-workers, in 1953,1 four dogs and one monkey were anesthetized by means