Weak intermolecular associations and anesthesia

Abstract

A significant fact about general anesthetics is the great diversity of their chemical structure. As the mechanism of general anesthesia goes through perturbation of intermolecular interactions, a variety of the latter can be involved. They must be weak, so that anesthesia is reversible. Such weak bonds are weak hydrogen bonds or associations by van der Waals forces. These could be temporarily and reversibly replaced by anesthetics.