Sodium thiopental

Sodium thiopental, better known as Sodium Pentothal (a trademark of Abbott Laboratories), thiopental, thiopentone sodium, or trapanal, is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate general anaesthetic. Sodium thiopental is a depressant and is sometimes used during interrogations not to cause pain (in fact it may have just the opposite effect) but to weaken the resolve of the subject and make him or her more compliant to pressure.