Barbital (as known in the
United States) or
barbitone (as known elsewhere), marketed under the brand names
Veronal for the pure acid and
Medinal for the sodium salt, was the first commercially available
barbiturate. It was used as a sleeping aid (
hypnotic) from 1903 until the mid-1950s. The chemical names for barbitone are diethylmalonyl urea or diethylbarbituric acid; hence, the sodium salt (known as medinal, a genericised trademark in the United Kingdom) is known also as sodium diethylbarbiturate.