Desflurane is a halogenated ether used for maintenance of general anaesthesia. Together with sevoflurane it is gradually replacing isoflurane. It has the most rapid onset and offset of the volatile anaesthetic drugs used for general anaesthesia due to its low solubility in blood.

Its major drawbacks are its low potency and its pungency.

Though it vaporises very readily, it is a liquid at room temperature. Anaesthetic machines include an unusual anaesthetic vaporiser that heats it to generate a gas.

Physical properties

Boiling point :	22.8 °C	(at 1 atm)
Density :	1.465 g/cm³	(at 20 °C)
Molecular Weight :	168
Vapor pressure:	93 kPa	700 mmHg	(at 20 °C)
	107 kPa	804 mmHg	(at 24 °C)
Blood-Gas partition coefficient  :	0.45	(at 37 °C)

Book Reference

Eger, Eisenkraft, Weiskopf The Pharmacology of Inhaled Anesthetics 2003