What does barbital mean?
Barbital is a barbiturate — one of a family of drugs derived from barbituric acid — and holds the distinction of being the first such compound ever brought to market. Introduced commercially around 1903 under the trade name Veronal, it was widely prescribed as a sedative and sleep aid in the early twentieth century. Chemically known as diethylbarbituric acid, it acts as a long-acting depressant of the central nervous system, slowing brain activity and inducing drowsiness and sleep. However, like other barbiturates it carries serious risks: tolerance develops quickly, overdose can be fatal, and withdrawal can be dangerous. As safer alternatives such as benzodiazepines emerged, barbital fell out of clinical use and today survives mainly in historical accounts of pharmacology and in laboratory settings, where barbital buffer remains useful in certain electrophoresis techniques. Its story marks the beginning of the modern era of synthetic psychotropic medicines.
nounBarbital is a barbiturate drug, the first of its class to be marketed, used historically as a sedative and hypnotic. It is a long-acting central nervous system depressant that induces drowsiness and sleep.
- A long-acting barbiturate drug used as a sedative-hypnotic; chemically diethylbarbituric acid.
"The physician prescribed a small dose of barbital to help the patient sleep through the night."
"Early twentieth-century physicians routinely prescribed barbital for insomnia until its narrow safety margin became apparent."
"In the laboratory, barbital buffer is still used to maintain pH in certain electrophoresis procedures."
Rarely pluralized; typically treated as an uncountable substance name. A plural may appear when referring to multiple preparations or doses.
"The old pharmacy ledger recorded several barbitals among its stock."
Barbital was the world's first synthetic sleeping pill — sold as 'Veronal' from 1903, it launched an entire era of barbiturates before safer drugs pushed it into history.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of barbital
Barbital takes its name from barbituric acid, the parent compound from which all barbiturates derive. Barbituric acid itself was first synthesized in the 1860s by the German chemist Adolf von Baeyer, reportedly named either after a woman called Barbara or after the feast of St. Barbara. Barbital, the diethyl derivative, was synthesized by Emil Fischer and Joseph von Mering and introduced to medicine in the early twentieth century under the trade name Veronal. Related compounds such as phenobarbital share this same chemical lineage.
How barbital is actually used
Barbital is now chiefly of historical and laboratory interest; it is obsolete as a therapeutic agent in most countries due to its slow onset, long duration, and risk of dependence and overdose. The name 'Veronal' was its original commercial trade name.
Easily confused with barbital
Phenobarbital is a different, longer-acting barbiturate with a phenyl group attached, still used clinically as an anticonvulsant, whereas barbital is the older parent compound largely obsolete in medicine.