chemistry

Metofoline

Metofoline 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 Metofoline rather than just read about it. In short: Metofoline (INN), also known as methofoline (USAN), is an opioid analgesic drug discovered in the 1950s by a team of Swiss researchers at Hoffmann-La Roche. Methopholine is an isoquinoline derivative which is not structurally related to most other opioids.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Metofoline (INN), also known as methofoline (USAN), is an opioid analgesic drug discovered in the 1950s by a team of Swiss researchers at Hoffmann-La Roche. Methopholine is an isoquinoline derivative which is not structurally related to most other opioids. However, its structural similarity to the non-opioid alkaloid papaverine is notable. Metofoline has around the same efficacy as an analgesic as codeine, and was evaluated for the treatment of postoperative pain. Metofoline tablets were marketed in the United States under the brand name of Versidyne, but the drug was withdrawn from the market in 1965 due to the occurrence of ophthalmic side-effects alongside the discovery that the drug could produce cataracts in dogs. Metofoline has two enantiomers, with the levo (R) enantiomer being the active form, around 3x the potency of codeine, and the (S) enantiomer being inactive. Analogs where the 4'-chloro group has been replaced by other electron withdrawing groups have also been tested, the fluoro derivative being slightly more potent than chloro, and the nitro derivative being most potent of all, with the racemic 4'-nitromethopholine being around 20x the potency of codeine. Later research was carried out by Bristol-Myer in the 1960s and animal studies suggested derivatives with significantly increased analgesic activity of over x50 codeine.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Metofoline

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Metofoline 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 Metofoline 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 Metofoline 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 Metofoline

In research: Metofoline 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 Metofoline 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: Metofoline is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 4-Chlorophenyl compounds, Drugs not assigned an ATC code, Mu-opioid receptor agonists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Metofoline 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 Metofoline in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Metofoline 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 Metofoline out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Metofoline in simple terms?

Why does Metofoline 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 Metofoline?

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 Metofoline.