chloramphenicol is an antibiotic with the chemical formula C11H12Cl2N2O5, soluble in methanol, ethanol, propanol and ethyl acetate, slightly soluble in ether and chloroform, insoluble in petroleum ether and benzene. Chloramphenicol is extremely stable and its aqueous solution does not fail even after boiling for 5h. Because chloramphenicol has two asymmetric carbon atoms in the molecule, chloramphenicol has four optical isomers, of which only the left-handed isomer has antibacterial properties