What Does Chloroform Mean?

Chloroform is a colourless liquid and is the most common substance to make people unconscious while performing a surgical operation on their body. But with the advent of more sophisticated methods this use of chloroform is not prevalent anymore.

Chloroform has also played a big role in movies and television serials. You can still find the actors pretend to use chloroform in a movie sequence where they are intended to make somebody unconscious.

There are some industrial uses also where chloroform plays a vital role. It is used in the pharmaceutical industry as a solvent and you can find its use in the production of dyes and pesticides also. Chloroform is considered among the most effective solvents for the alkaloids when they are in their base form and can be used to extract nitrogenous chemicals from the plant material for the use of pharmaceutical processing.

Chloroform is the common name for the chemical compound, tri chloromethane or methyl tri chloride. The compound was discovered by Samuel Guthrie. Its most common use is that as a refrigerant in the air conditioners. It can also be used as an anesthetic and was used a lot in the 19^th century. When it is inhaled, it causes dizziness, unconsciousness and fatigue. Quite often, it is used a solvent, especially in the pharmaceutical industry where many organic compounds are dissolved in it. It is advisable to keep the lid tightly shut of the container of chloroform as it can be dangerous to the nervous system.