A nearest-neighbor recogntion analysis has been performed in cholesterol-rich and cholesterol-poor liposomes derived from 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) in the presence of varying concentrations of chloroform. This analysis has yielded a funamentally new, molecular-level view of the interaction of general anesthetics with lipid bilayers, which may be relevant to their biological action; that is, DPPC Forms 1:1 complexes with CHCl3 in both membranes in the fluid bilayer state.