Metharbital was patented in 1905 by Emil Fischer working for Merck.[2] It was marketed as Gemonil by Abbott Laboratories. It is a barbiturate anticonvulsant, used in the treatment of epilepsy.[3][4] It has similar properties to phenobarbital.

History

  • 1952 Gemonil was introduced by Abbott Laboratories.
  • 1990 Abbott stopped marketing.

Synthesis

Metharbital can be synthesized from 2,2-diethylmalonic acid and O-methylisourea.[5][6][2]

References

  1. ^ "Metharbital". The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database.
  2. ^ a b US 782742, Fischer E, "Trisubstituted barbituric acids and process of making them.", issued 14 February 1905, assigned to E. Merck 
  3. ^ Shorvon SR, Fish DR, Perucca E, Dodson WE, eds. (2004). The Treatment of Epilepsy (2nd ed.). Blackwell. ISBN 0-632-06046-8.
  4. ^ Resor SR (1991). The Medical Treatment of Epilepsy. Marcel Dekker. ISBN 0-8247-8549-5.
  5. ^ Halpern A, Jones JW (June 1949). "The characterization of the trialkylbarbiturates". Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association. 38 (6): 352–5. doi:10.1002/jps.3030380619. PMID 18151714.
  6. ^ Snyder JA, Link KP (1953). "Preparation and Characterization by Alkaline Methanolysis of 5,5-Diethyl-4-(tetraacetyl-β-D-glucosyloxy)-2,6(1,5)-pyrimidinedione". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 75 (8): 1881–1883. doi:10.1021/ja01104a030.