A core process in receptor function, general anesthesia, sleep, and aging.

The diffusion of ligands and proteins was proposed to be guided by chreodes in water organized by protein-surface side chains with varying hydropathic states. These chreodes are proposed to be the target of volatile general anesthetic agents. The similarity between this effect and sleep deprivation leads to a proposal of an external agent responsible for sleep. This agent is elemental nitrogen. An extension of this effect is the concept that elemental nitrogen is a core factor in aging.