Crystal structures and spectroscopic characterization of four synthetic cathinones: 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(Dimethylamino)propan-1-one (N-methyl-clephedrone, 4-CDC), 1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-(tert-butylamino)propan-1-one (tBuONE, tertylone, MDPT), 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)hexan-1-one (4f-PHP) and 2-(ethylamino)-1-(3-methylphenyl)propan-1-one (3-methyl-ethylcathinone, 3-MEC)

Abstract

Every year new synthetic cathinones are flooding the European drug market. They gain more and more popularity in place of cathinones that became illegal. Compounds from both groups, “classic” and “new” cathinones, have a similar chemical structure and, as a consequence, their psychoactive properties are not much different. Cathinone analogs were secured by the police during the search of a suspect’s apartment. The aim of this paper was to present results of analyses and identification of these synthetic cathinones. The structure of new psychoactive substances (NPS) was identified by single-crystal X-ray analysis, solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS and GC-MS.