Pentobarbital
Also called pentobarbituric acid and pentobarbitone.
A barbiturate once used for sedation and seizures, now mostly a veterinary anaesthetic and euthanasia agent.
Sources and notes
- The introductionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Other namesfrom sourceWikidataIts English label and aliases on Wikidata.
- Formula and weightcomputedPubChem
- 2D drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKit
- 3D modelfrom sourcePubChem 3D conformerLoaded after the page has painted, and on a phone only when you ask for it; the 2D drawing shows until it arrives.
Where you encounter it
Dispensed on prescription, not sold on a shelf.
Sources and notes
- The line abovefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedFrom the group the molecule belongs to.
Explore its structure
Choose a part to light it up.
A ring of four carbons and two nitrogens carrying three C=O groups, the ring every barbiturate is built on. The two groups on its one carbon with no oxygen are what tell one barbiturate from another.
From: standard chemistry (pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione, barbituric acid's ring).
Sources and notes
- The drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKitThe page's one shipped drawing, with the chosen part lit in amber under it.
- The partscomputedFound by ruleEach part is found by a chemical pattern, never picked by hand atom by atom; its words say where they come from.
Properties and sources
Calculated by PubChem
- Molecular formula
- C11H18N2O3
- Molecular weight
- 226.27 g/mol
- XLogP3octanol/water, log units
- 2.1
- Polar surface areatopological
- 75.3 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 2
- H-bond acceptors
- 3
- Rotatable bonds
- 4
- Complexity
- 305
Measured LD50, HSDB via PubChem
118 mg/kg pure pentobarbital, rat, oral
An LD50 is an animal study measurement, not a dose for a person.
Reported Hazard label (GHS), ECHA via PubChem
Danger Toxic pictogram (GHS06) and Health hazard pictogram (GHS08); hazard statements H301, H361
Reported Licence
The US Food and Drug Administration licenses Pentobarbital for human use (ANDA 083246, authorized September 19, 1973), as Nembutal Sodium. Drugs@FDA
Groups it belongs to
- Category
- Prescription medicine
- Family
- Barbiturates
- Chemical groups
- Amides
- Elements
- Nitrogen
- Hazard classes
- Acutely toxic, Health hazard, GHS Danger
CCCC(C)C1(C(=O)NC(=O)NC1=O)CCPubChem CID 4737 · Wikidata Q409632 · InChIKey WEXRUCMBJFQVBZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N · Data refreshed
Questions
- What is Pentobarbital?
- A barbiturate once used for sedation and seizures, now mostly a veterinary anaesthetic and euthanasia agent.
- How toxic is Pentobarbital?
- The reported LD50 of Pentobarbital is 118 mg/kg (rat, oral). An LD50 is an animal study measurement, not a dose for a person. Its GHS hazard label carries the signal word Danger and the hazard pictograms Toxic and Health hazard. from sourcefrom source
- What kind of molecule is Pentobarbital?
- Pentobarbital has the formula C11H18N2O3 and a molecular weight of 226.27 g/mol. MoleculeFinder files it under barbiturates, in the prescription medicine group. from sourcefrom sourcefrom sourcefrom source
- What else is Pentobarbital called?
- Pentobarbital is also called pentobarbituric acid and pentobarbitone. from source
- Who licenses Pentobarbital as a medicine?
- The US Food and Drug Administration licenses Pentobarbital for human use (ANDA 083246, authorized September 19, 1973), as Nembutal Sodium. from source
Sources and notes
- Calculated valuescomputedPubChemComputed from the structure, so no laboratory conditions apply; complexity is PubChem's own structural score.
- LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChemOther values the sources report: rat, oral, 125 mg/kg; rat, another route, 108 mg/kg; rat, another route, 144 mg/kg. The page shows the one LD50 the site uses everywhere.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA via PubChemThe label combines these classifications.
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- Licencefrom sourceDrugs@FDARead 2026-10-21.
- Data refreshedfrom sourceMoleculeFinder2026-11-09
Keep exploring
Sources and notes
- The same kind of moleculefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated groupsA structural neighbour in the same family or type group; the line names the group in its own words.
- The drawingscomputedPubChem structures, drawn by RDKit