What does barbitone mean?
Barbitone is the name given to a specific barbiturate drug — chemically diethylmalonylurea — that was the first of its class to be brought to market, sold commercially under the brand name Veronal beginning in 1904. A powerful central-nervous-system depressant, it was widely prescribed throughout the first half of the twentieth century as a sedative and sleeping aid, at a time when alternatives were few. The term appears today mainly in historical, pharmacological, and forensic contexts, since clinical use of barbitones has been almost entirely replaced by safer medications such as benzodiazepines. In American practice the same compound is usually called barbital, while barbitone was the conventional British name. Because overdose can be fatal, the word carries strong associations with toxicity and dependency, and it frequently surfaces in accounts of early twentieth-century medicine and literature. Understanding barbitone offers a window into a pivotal era when synthetic drugs first transformed the treatment of insomnia and anxiety.
nounA long-acting barbiturate depressant of the central nervous system (known in the US as barbital or Veronal), formerly widely used as a sedative and hypnotic and now largely obsolete in clinical medicine.
- The specific barbiturate drug diethylmalonylurea, used historically as a sedative and hypnotic.
"Before the introduction of safer benzodiazepines, doctors routinely prescribed barbitone to help patients with severe insomnia."
"The toxicology report confirmed that the patient had ingested a lethal dose of barbitone."
"In early twentieth-century fiction, characters seeking oblivion often turned to barbitone, then known by its brand name Veronal."
Rarely needed; the plural typically appears only when discussing multiple barbiturate compounds collectively.
"Early twentieth-century pharmacies stocked a range of barbitones, each promising deeper sleep than the last."
The first barbiturate ever marketed, sold as 'Veronal' from 1904, was so widely used that it became the era's most famous means of suicide — before antibiotics even existed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of barbitone
The name derives from barbituric acid, the parent compound first synthesized by Adolf von Baeyer in 1864, whose name is traditionally said to honor St. Barbara — either because Baeyer made his discovery around her feast day (December 4) or in association with artillery men who celebrated it. The '-one' suffix reflects the ketone group characteristic of the molecule. The drug itself was introduced clinically in 1903–1904 under the trade name Veronal, and 'barbitone' entered English medical vocabulary shortly thereafter, alongside related compounds such as phenobarbital and pentobarbital.
How barbitone is actually used
Chiefly a technical and historical term. 'Barbital' is the standard US pharmacopoeial name for the same compound, while 'barbitone' was traditionally preferred in British usage; both have been superseded in modern prescribing by safer drugs.
Easily confused with barbitone
Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent; barbitone is a sedative-hypnotic drug — the two share nothing but a vaguely chemical-sounding name.
Barbiturate refers to the entire class of drugs derived from barbituric acid, whereas barbitone names one specific member of that class.