Application:
It is used as an intermediate in the production of plastics, pharmaceuticals, dyes, and pesticides; as a heat transfer medium in fire extinguishers; and as a general solvent. In the past, chloroform was used extensively as an anesthetic during surgery, but that use has been discontinued.
Chloroform is used as a solvent in the pharmaceutical industry and for producing dyes and pesticides. Chloroform is an effective solvent for alkaloids in their base form and thus plant material is commonly extracted with chloroform for pharmaceutical processing.