pentylenetetrazol

[ pen-tl-een-te-truh-zawl, -zol ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a white, crystalline, bitter-tasting, water-soluble powder, C 6 H 1 0 N 4 , used as a respiratory and circulatory stimulant, especially in the treatment of barbiturate poisoning, and to induce a convulsive state in the treatment of certain mental diseases.

pentylenetetrazol

/ ˌpɛntɪliːnˈtɛtrəˌzɒl /

noun

1. a white crystalline water-soluble substance with a bitter taste, used in medicine to stimulate the central nervous system. Formula: C 6 H 10 N 4

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentylenetetrazol¹

pent- ( def ) + (meth)ylene + tetr(a)- + az- + -ol ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentylenetetrazol¹

C20: from penta-methylene-tetrazole

Example Sentences

The traditional way of testing for antiepilepsy drugs involves the generation of epilepsy-like convulsions in rats and mice by administering electrical stimuli or chemicals such as pentylenetetrazol.

From Nature

Developed by Drs. Theodore Koppanyi and Joseph Fazekas of Washington, D.C., the pills contain standard barbiturates and an added safety factor, pentylenetetrazol.

From Time Magazine Archive

A powerful nerve stimulant, the safety factor counteracts the depressant effect of too much barbiturate, and long before the goofball addict drifts into euphoria or the would-be suicide passes out, pentylenetetrazol causes the unhappy user to vomit his medicine.

From Time Magazine Archive