Final answer:
The property that correlates most closely with Minimum Alveolar Concentration (MAC) is blood-gas solubility, which has an inverse relationship with anesthetic potency. A lower blood-gas solubility indicates a more potent anesthetic with a lower MAC value.
Step-by-step explanation:
The property of anesthetic gases that correlates most closely with Minimum Alveolar Concentration (MAC) is blood-gas solubility. MAC is a measure used to compare the potencies of anesthetic gases, representing the concentration needed to prevent movement in 50% of patients in response to a surgical stimulus.
MAC is inversely related to potency, meaning that a lower MAC indicates a more potent anesthetic. Blood-gas solubility affects how quickly the gas equilibrates between the blood and the brain, determining the onset of anesthesia. High solubility means the gas will dissolve more in the blood, requiring more of the anesthetic to achieve the desired effect, resulting in a higher MAC. Conversely, a lower solubility indicates that less gas is needed to saturate the blood and reach the brain, thus a lower MAC and greater potency.
Therefore, the blood-gas solubility is the key property that indicates anesthetic potency, which has a direct and inverse relationship with MAC.