Measurement of halothane by ultraviolet spectroscopy.

Halothane absorbs strongly in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum. This property has been employed to measure the concentration of halothane in samples in which the effect of halothane on enzyme kinetics was being studied. Halothane can be completely extracted into heptane, displays a concentration-dependent linear increase in absorbance over a broad concentration range, and has a molar extinction coefficient of 447 M cm-1 at 208 nm. The procedure described for the measurement of halothane will enable other investigators who do not have a gas chromatograph to measure the concentration of halothane.