How Do You Spell SULPHONAL?

Pronunciation: [sˈʌlfɒnə͡l] (IPA)

Sulphonal is a medication used to treat insomnia that was commonly used in the early 20th century. Despite being spelled with a "ph," the correct pronunciation of this word is actually /sʌlˈfoʊnəl/. This is because the element sulfur is spelled with an "f" in the United States, and the word was likely originally pronounced with an "f" sound in British English as well, due to the common use of "f" instead of "ph" in spellings at the time. However, over time, the spelling "sulphonal" has persisted while the pronunciation has shifted to use a "v" sound for the "ph."

SULPHONAL Meaning and Definition

1. Sulphonal is a chemical compound commonly used as a sedative or hypnotic drug. It is classified as a type of sulphonamide, with a chemical formula C12H14N2O4S2. Also known by its systematic name diethyl sulphonediurea, sulphonal is a white crystalline substance that is insoluble in water but has good solubility in alcohol and ether.

   Sulphonal was first synthesized in the late 19th century and quickly gained popularity as a sleep aid due to its sedative properties. It works by depressing the central nervous system, thus inducing a calming and sleep-inducing effect. The compound is primarily used to treat sleep disturbances such as insomnia, especially in cases where an individual experiences difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep.

   Although sulphonal was widely used as a sedative in the past, its use has decreased significantly over time due to the availability of more effective and safer alternatives. The compound has been associated with several adverse effects including skin rashes, digestive issues, and even more serious conditions like agranulocytosis and liver damage. In some cases, long-term use of sulphonal has been linked to addiction and dependency.

   Due to its potential for side effects and risks, the use of sulphonal has been largely replaced by other sedative drugs, such as benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics.

Common Misspellings for SULPHONAL

• aulphonal
• zulphonal
• xulphonal
• dulphonal
• eulphonal
• wulphonal
• sylphonal
• shlphonal
• sjlphonal
• s8lphonal
• s7lphonal
• sukphonal
• supphonal
• suophonal
• sulohonal
• sullhonal
• sul-honal
• sul0honal
• sulpgonal
• sulpbonal

Etymology of SULPHONAL

The word "sulphonal" has its etymology rooted in the chemical compound's composition. "Sulphonal" is derived from "sulphon-" which refers to the presence of a sulphonamide group (SO2NH2) and the suffix "-al" indicating an aldehyde functional group (CHO). Sulphonamides are chemical compounds that contain a sulfonamide group while aldehydes are organic compounds characterized by the presence of a carbonyl group (C=O) bonded to a hydrogen atom. Therefore, the term "sulphonal" signifies a compound that contains both a sulphonamide and aldehyde group in its structure.