Compound Monograph
Sulfonethylmethane
Sulfonethylmethane (trional) is a sulfone-class sedative-hypnotic, a 19th-century relative of sulfonal.
Where Does It Come From?
Sulfonethylmethane is a naturally occurring sulfone (organosulfur sedative-hypnotic). It is flagged as moderately toxic.
Research & Evidence
Sulfonethylmethane, historically marketed as trional, is a disulfone sedative-hypnotic introduced in the late nineteenth century as a longer-acting analogue of sulfonal (sulfonmethane). It was used to induce sleep before the barbiturates and largely fell out of use as safer agents became available. It is a synthetic compound rather than a plant product, despite some database listings; the unrelated dietary compound methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) sometimes appears among its alternative names but is a different substance.
Toxicity & Safety
Like other sulfone hypnotics, sulfonethylmethane carries a meaningful risk of toxicity with repeated use, including accumulation and effects on the blood pigment porphyrin metabolism, and it can be dangerous in overdose. It is a controlled substance (Schedule III in the United States) and is essentially obsolete in modern medicine.