Chemistry:Hydrocarbonate (gas)
Hydrocarbonate is an ancient chemistry term for water gas composed of carbon monoxide and hydrogen generated by passing steam over molten coke. Hydrocarbonate was classified as a factitious air and explored for therapeutic properties by eighteenth century physicians including: Thomas Beddoes and James Watt.[1]
History
The term hydrocarbonate was coined by Thomas Beddoes.
Between 1794 and 1802, physicians such as Tiberius Cavallo and Davies Gilbert experimented with hydrocarbonate as an analgesic and anesthetic.[2] Humphry Davy infamously inhaled three quarts of hydrocarbonate at the Pneumatic Institution and nearly died upon "sinking into annihilation"; Davy recovered two days later and concluded inhalation of more hydrocarbonate could have "destroyed life immediately without producing any painful sensations".[3] Carbon monoxide is recognized to have a narcotic effect, therefore the scientists were likely experiencing carbon monoxide poisioning.
Diseases treated by hydrocarbonate included: tuberculosis, inflammation, asthma, expectoration, hemoptysis, pneumonia, hydrothorax, spasm and other indications.[1][2] Many of the diseases treated with hydrocarbonate, whose active ingredient was carbon monoxide, are now being investigated using modern biomedical research methods to determine the therapeutic potential of carbon monoxide. For example, James Lind recognized hydrocarbonate to effectively treat lung inflammation;[1] delivery of carbon monoxide via inhalation protocol or carbon monoxide-releasing molecules has significant preclinical data indicating an effective treatment for inflammation.[4] The pioneering work of exploratory medicinal application of hydrocarbonate is an important origin for modern drug development.
James Watt suggested hydrocarbonate could act as "an antidote to the oxygen in blood" in 1794 and cautioned about the toxicity of an overdose prior to the discoveries of carbon monoxide (1800) and hemoglobin (1840).[1] Despite Watt's observation, it is widely accepted that Claude Bernard had first described the mechanism for carbon monoxide poisoning by describing carbon monoxide's affinity for hemoglobin displacing oxygen to induce asphyxia circa 1857.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Beddoes, Thomas (1794) (in en). Considerations on the Medicinal Use of Factitious Airs: And on the Manner of Obtaining Them in Large Quantities. In Two Parts. Part I. by Thomas Beddoes, M.D. Part II. by James Watt, Esq. Bulgin and Rosser. https://books.google.com/books?id=2QcAAAAAQAAJ.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cavallo, Tiberius (1798) (in en). An Essay on the Medicinal Properties of Factitious Airs: With an Appendix, on the Nature of Blood. author, and sold. https://books.google.com/books?id=tr1XAAAAYAAJ.
- ↑ Holmes, Richard (2008). The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3206097.+doi:10.1063/1.3206097. ISBN 9780007149537.
- ↑ Motterlini, Roberto; Otterbein, Leo E. (2010). "The therapeutic potential of carbon monoxide" (in en). Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 9 (9): 728–743. doi:10.1038/nrd3228. ISSN 1474-1784. PMID 20811383. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd3228.
- ↑ Otterbein, Leo E. (2002). "Carbon Monoxide: Innovative Anti-inflammatory Properties of an Age-Old Gas Molecule" (in en). Antioxidants & Redox Signaling 4 (2): 309–319. doi:10.1089/152308602753666361. ISSN 1523-0864. PMID 12006182. http://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/152308602753666361.
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