Question

In a homologous series of any general anesthetic, increasing the chain length increases the lipid solubility and produces a corresponding increase in anesthetic potency, is proposed by:

• A. John Pemberton
• B. Meyer - Overton
• C. Hubert Humphrey
• D. Meyer - Philip

Hint:

The Meyer-Overton hypothesis is fundamental in understanding how lipid solubility influences the potency of anesthetic agents.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question is about a classic structure-activity relationship in anesthetic pharmacology: within a series of related compounds, longer chains raise lipid solubility, and potency rises with it.

Step 2: Key Fact:
This relationship is called the Meyer-Overton correlation, named after Hans Meyer and Charles Overton, who separately found around 1899 to 1901 that anesthetic potency lines up with a compound's solubility in a lipid solvent like olive oil. It is one of the oldest and still widely cited ideas linking a physical property to biological action.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
John Pemberton is known for creating Coca-Cola, not for any pharmacology research.
Hubert Humphrey was a politician with no scientific link to anesthetics.
Meyer-Philip is not a recognized name pair in this field at all.
None of these three fit a lipid solubility and potency correlation.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The correlation described was proposed by Meyer - Overton.