Chloramphenicol is a broad-spectrum bacteriostatic, bioactive aminoalkoline antibiotic, synthesised on 26 March 1949 for Parke-Davis and Company by chemist Mildred Rebstock and originally registered as chloromycetin.

It appears as white to pale yellow needles, plaques or powder.

What it is used for and where

Medical

Used in earlier periods for the treatment of typhoid fever (Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi), cholera, meningitis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, murine typhus, rickettsialpox, typhus scrub (Orientia tsutsugamushi).

Currently. Chloramphenicol is used in ophthalmology in the topical treatment of superficial eye infections such as bacterial conjunctivitis and otitis externa (1) and in pneumology for the treatment of pneumonia.

Safety

It is an antibiotic generally considered safe, but was removed from the French market in 2008 due to serious side effects. The European Union has set a limit of 0.3 μg kg-1 in the presence of residues in products of animal origin for human consumption (2).

For more information:   Chloramphenicol  studies

Appearance	White powder
Boiling Point	563.2±60.0°C at 760 mmHg
Melting Point	148-150°C(lit.)
Flash Point	294.4±32.9°C
Density	1.6±0.1 g/cm3
PSA	115.38000
LogP	1.62
Refraction Index	1.623
Vapor Pressure	0.0±1.6 mmHg at 25°C
Water Solubility	2.5 g/L (25º C)
Safety

• Molecular Formula    C₁₁H₁₂Cl₂N₂O₅
• Linear Formula    Cl₂CHCONHCH(CH₂OH)CH(OH)C₆H₄NO₂
• Molecular Weight    323.13
• Exact Mass    322.012329
• CAS  56-75-7
• UNII    66974FR9Q1
• EC Number   200-287-4
• DSSTox Substance ID  DTXSID7020265
• IUPAC  2,2-dichloro-N-[(1R,2R)-1,3-dihydroxy-1-(4-nitrophenyl)propan-2-yl]acetamide
• InChI=1S/C11H12Cl2N2O5/c12-10(13)11(18)14-8(5-16)9(17)6-1-3-7(4-2-6)15(19)20/h1-4,8-10,16-17H,5H2,(H,14,18)/t8-,9-/m1/s1
• InChl Key      WIIZWVCIJKGZOK-RKDXNWHRSA-N
• SMILES   C1=CC(=CC=C1C(C(CO)NC(=O)C(Cl)Cl)O)[N+](=O)[O-]
• MDL number  MFCD00078159
• PubChem Substance ID    24892250
• ChEBI  17698
• NCI    C363
• RXCUI   2348   
• NSC   3069
• RTECS   AB6825000
• Beilstein   2225532

Synonyms

• Chloromycetin
• Chlornitromycin
• Levomycetin
• D-(−)-threo-2-Dichloroacetamido-1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3-propanediol, D-(−)-threo-2,2-Dichloro-N-[β-hydroxy-α-(hydroxymethyl)-β-(4-nitrophenyl)ethyl]acetamide
• D-threo-2,2-Dichloro-N-[β-hydroxy-α-(hydroxymethyl)-4-nitrophenethyl]acetamide

References________________________________________________________________________

(1) Oong GC, Tadi P. Chloramphenicol. 2021 Nov 17. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–.

(2) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32003D0181&from=EN