chemistry

Metaraminol

Metaraminol is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Metaraminol rather than just read about it. In short: Metaraminol, also known as metaradrine and sold under the brand name Aramine among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used in the prevention and treatment of hypotension (low blood pressure), particularly as a complication of anesthesia. It is given by intramuscular or intravenous administration.

Key takeaways

Metaraminol belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Metaraminol to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Metaraminol from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Metaraminol, also known as metaradrine and sold under the brand name Aramine among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used in the prevention and treatment of hypotension (low blood pressure), particularly as a complication of anesthesia. It is given by intramuscular or intravenous administration. Side effects of metaraminol include reflex bradycardia among others. Metaraminol is a norepinephrine releasing agent and at high doses a α1-adrenergic receptor agonist with some β-adrenergic effect. It is a substituted amphetamine and is closely related to phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine, and oxilofrine. Metaraminol was approved for medical use in the United States in September 1954.

Medical uses

Metaraminol is given intravenously as either a bolus (often 0.5–1 mg doses) or as an infusion, usually via peripheral intravenous access. Metaraminol is commonly available as 10 mg in 1 mL, that requires dilution prior to administration (often made up to a 0.5 mg/mL solution), however pre-prepared syringes of metaraminol for bolus use for hypotension are also commonly available. Metaraminol is also used in the treatment of priapism.

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics The dominant mechanism of action for the vasopressor action of metaraminol is indirect, with metaraminol displacing norepinephrine from neuronal vesicles in order for the noradrenaline to exert these effects. Metaraminol at higher doses may have direct α-adrenergic agonist and β1-adrenergic agonist effects. However at doses common in clinical practice, the indirect α1-adrenergic effects predominate, such that reflex bradycardia is a common side effect.

Chemistry Metaraminol, also known as (1R,2S)-3,β-dihydroxy-α-methylphenethylamine or as (1R,2S)-3,β-dihydroxyamphetamine, is a substituted phenethylamine and amphetamine derivative. It is the (1R,2S)-enantiomer of meta-hydroxynorephedrine (3,β-dihydroxyamphetamine). The drug is closely related to phenylpropanolamine ((1RS,2SR)-β-hydroxyamphetamine; norephedrine), ephedrine ((1R,2S)-β-hydroxy-N-methylamphetamine), para-hydroxynorephedrine (4,β-dihydroxyamphetamine), and oxilofrine (4,β-dihydroxy-N-methylamphetamine). The experimental log P of metaraminol is -0.27 and its predicted log P ranges from -0.59 to 0.07. Metaraminol is used pharmaceutically as the bitartrate salt.

History Metaraminol was approved for medical use in the United States in September 1954.

Society and culture

Names Metaraminol is the generic name of the medication and its INNTooltip International Nonproprietary Name and BANTooltip British Approved Name, while its DCFTooltip Dénomination Commune Française is métaraminol and its DCITTooltip Denominazione Comune Italiana is metaraminolo. As the bitartrate salt, its generic name is metaraminol bitartrate and this is its USANTooltip United States Adopted Name and JANTooltip Japanese Accepted Name, while metaraminol tartrate is its BANMTooltip British Approved Name. A synonym of metaraminol is metaradrine. Brand names of metaraminol include Aramin, Aramine, and Pressonex, among others.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Metaraminol

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Metaraminol claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Metaraminol before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Metaraminol ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Metaraminol

In research: Metaraminol appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Metaraminol in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Metaraminol is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 3-Hydroxyphenyl compounds, Alpha1-adrenergic agonists, Antihypotensive agents, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Metaraminol outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Metaraminol in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Metaraminol means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Metaraminol out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Metaraminol in simple terms?

Why does Metaraminol matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Metaraminol?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Metaraminol.