C3H6

09/19/2026

Cyclopropane (C₃H₆) was widely used as an inhaled general anaesthetic from the 1930s to the 1950s.

It crosses rapidly from the lungs into the blood and brain, where it binds weakly to hydrophobic pockets in ion-channel proteins thereby changing their confirmation (shape) which surprisingly suppresses the neural signalling required for consciousness.

It was an effective anaesthetic with rapid induction and recovery and little airway irritation. But it is extremely flammable and can form explosive mixtures with oxygen, so it was replaced with much more expensive molecules.

Bring it back, I say.

Sounds like it could make a useful chemical weapon. Knock ’em out or blow ’em up, or both.