Clinical data | |
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Other names | 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine; 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-bromophenethylamine; Nexus; Venus; Bromo; Bees; Erox; Synergy; Performax; Toonies [1] |
Routes of administration | By mouth, insufflation, rectal |
Drug class | Serotonergic psychedelic; Hallucinogen; Serotonin 5-HT2 receptor agonist |
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Pharmacokinetic data | |
Metabolism | Liver (MAO and CYP450) [1] |
Metabolites | BDMPE, BDMPAA, BDMBA, and others [2] |
Onset of action | Oral: 20–90 min [2] |
Elimination half-life | 2.48 ± 3.20 h [3] |
Duration of action | Oral: 2–8 hours [2] [1] |
Excretion | Urine [2] [1] |
Identifiers | |
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CAS Number | |
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DrugBank | |
ChemSpider | |
UNII | |
KEGG | |
ChEBI | |
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.164.088 |
Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C10H14BrNO2 |
Molar mass | 260.131 g·mol−1 |
3D model (JSmol) | |
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2C-B (4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine), also known as Nexus, is a synthetic psychedelic drug of the 2C family, mainly used as a recreational drug. [2] [1] [4] It was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin in 1974 for use in psychotherapy. To date, there is limited scientific information regarding the drug's pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects in humans. The existing studies primarily classify 2C-B as a stimulant and hallucinogen, and less commonly an entactogen and empathogen. [5]
2C-B, also referred to by a number of slang names, is known to circulate in the illicit market in multiple forms: [6] [7] as a powder, in capsules or pills. For recreational use, the substance is generally consumed orally or nasally. In Shulgin's book PiHKAL , the oral dosage range is listed as 12–24 mg. [8]
2C-B was synthesized from 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde by American chemist Alexander Shulgin in 1974. It first saw use among the psychiatric community as an aid during therapy, but was abandoned due to gastrointestinal effects and the lack of empathogenic effects. [1] 2C-B was first sold commercially as a purported aphrodisiac [9] under the trade name "Erox", which was manufactured by the German pharmaceutical company Drittewelle. [10] For several years, it was available as tablets in Dutch smart shops under the name "Nexus" and "B-Dub".[ citation needed ]
2C-B first became popularized in the United States as a short-lived substitute for the street drug ecstasy (MDMA) when the latter became illegal in 1985. [11] Many 2C-B users are young adults who attend raves. [6] Though 2C-B is still used in the rave subculture, commonly mistaken for and/or sold as ecstasy, its intentional use has become more common in the 2000s. [12]
In 2011, street prices in the United States ranged between $10 and $30 per tablet when purchased in small quantities. [6] Larger retail purchases cost between $200 and $500 per gram. Wholesale purchases of 2C-B would lower the price ($100 to $300 per gram in 2001, $30 to $100 on the darknet in 2020). [9]
There are claims that 2C-B was used as entheogen by the Sangoma, Nyanga, and Amagqirha people in place of their traditional plants; they refer to the chemical as Ubulawu Nomathotholo, which roughly translates to "Medicine of the Singing Ancestors". [13] [14] [15]
Little academic research has been conducted on the effects of 2C-B in humans. The information available is largely anecdotal and limited. Effects are often described as being more easily managed than other psychedelics; [16] [17] it is often compared to a mixture of a serotonergic psychedelic and MDMA. [18] At 5–10 mg, experiments with young chickens have shown it to produce effects similar to a low dosage of amphetamines. [19]
The anecdotal effects of 2C-B that have been reported by users on online discussion forums include: [20] [21] [22]
Clinical studies in humans suggest that 2C-B is a psychedelic with some possible entactogen-like effects. [5] [3] [24] Specific effects have included slight hallucinogenic states, perceptual changes, ego dissolution, time dilation, euphoria, feelings of well-being, reduced anger, increased reactivity to negative emotional stimuli, decreased ability to recognize expressions of happiness, augmented emotionality in speech, and mild sympathomimetic effects such as pressor effects, among others. [5] [3] [24]
When orally consumed, 2C-B has a much longer delay before the onset of effects than when it is insufflated. Oral ingestion generally takes roughly 45–75 minutes for the effects to be felt, plateau lasts 2–4 hours, and coming down lasts 1–2 hours. Rectal administration onset varies from 5–20 minutes. Insufflated onset takes 1–10 minutes for effects to be felt. The duration can last from 4 to 12 hours depending on route of administration, dose, and other factors. [20]
With insufflation, the effects are more abrupt and intense but have a significantly shorter duration, while oral usage results in a milder, longer experience. When insufflated, the onset happens very rapidly, usually reaching the peak at about 20–40 minutes and plateauing for 2–3 hours. 2C-B is also considered one of the most painful drugs to insufflate, with users reporting intense nasal burning. [16] The sudden intensity of the experience combined with the pain can often start the experience with a negative imprint and nausea is also increased with insufflation, compounding the issue.
The September 1998 issue of Journal of Analytical Toxicology reported that very little data exists about the pharmacological properties, metabolism, and toxicity of 2C-B. The relationship between its use and death is unknown. [9] The common oral recreational dose is around 15–25 mg, [27] at which visual and auditory effects are experienced. Severe adverse reactions are extremely rare, but use of 2C-B was linked to significant brain injury in one case report; the alleged "2C-B" was never actually discovered by testing so the only evidence suggesting 2C-B was the cause was the victim's own words, without taking into consideration that adulteration and impurities are very common in illicit drugs. [28]
Oral | Insufflated | |
---|---|---|
ED50 | 10 mg | 4–6 mg |
Moderate | 15–25 mg | 5–9 mg |
Strong | 26–35 mg | 10–20 mg |
Extremely Intense | >35 mg | >20 mg |
Duration | 4–8 hours | 2–4 hours |
The lethal dosage is unknown. It was reported in PiHKAL , by Alexander Shulgin, that a psychologist had accidentally taken a 100 mg dose orally without apparent harm. [8]
When sold as "Ecstasy", tablets containing 2C-B often contain about 5 mg of the drug, an amount which produces stimulatory effects that mimic the effects of MDMA; in contrast, tablets marketed as 2C-B have larger quantities of the drug (10–20 mg) which cause hallucinogenic effects. [29] Street purity of 2C-B, when tested, has been found to be relatively high. [30] Researchers in Spain found that 2C-B samples in the country doubled between 2006 and 2009, switched from primarily powder form to tablets, and exhibited "low falsification rates". [18] An analysis of street samples in the Netherlands found impurities "in small percentages"; only one of the impurities, the N-acetyl derivative of 2C-B, could be identified, and comprised 1.3% of the sample. The authors suggested that this compound was a by-product of 2C-B synthesis. [29]
Target | Affinity (Ki, nM) |
---|---|
5-HT1A | 240–311 |
5-HT1B | 104 |
5-HT1D | 26 |
5-HT1E | 120 |
5-HT1F | ND |
5-HT2A | 0.66–32 (Ki) 1.6–80 (EC50 ) 45–99% (Emax ) |
5-HT2B | 13.5–97 75–130 (EC50) 52–89% (Emax) |
5-HT2C | 32–90 0.03–4.1 (EC50) 104–116% (Emax) |
5-HT3 | >10,000 |
5-HT4 | ND |
5-HT5A | >10,000 |
5-HT6 | 320 |
5-HT7 | 210 |
α1A | >10,000 |
α1B | >10,000 |
α1D | ND |
α2A | 309–320 |
α2B | >10,000 |
α2C | 103 |
β1 | >10,000 |
β2 | >10,000 |
β3 | ND |
D1 | 12,000 |
D2 | 2,200–25,200 |
D3 | 7,116–10,000 |
D4 | >10,000 |
D5 | >10,000 |
H1–H4 | >10,000 |
M1–M2 | >10,000 |
M3 | 822 |
M4–M5 | >10,000 |
I1 | 2,155 |
σ1 | >10,000 |
σ2 | >10,000 |
TAAR1 | 90–3,000 (Ki) (rodent) 3,300–7,190 (EC50) (human) |
SERT | 9,700–13,300 (Ki) 18,000–312,900 (IC50 ) |
NET | 27,400–31,000 (Ki) 44,000–67,100 (IC50) |
DAT | 6,500–>30,000 (Ki) 231,000 (IC50) |
MAO-A | 125,000 (IC50) |
MAO-B | 58,000 (IC50) |
Notes: The smaller the value, the more avidly the drug binds to the site. All proteins are human unless otherwise specified. Refs: [31] [32] [33] [34] [1] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] |
Unlike most psychedelics, 2C-B has been shown to be a low efficacy human serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptor partial agonist. [40] This suggests that activation of the 5-HT2A-coupled phospholipase D pathway [40] or functional antagonism of 5-HT2A may also play a role. The rank order of 5-HT2A receptor antagonist potency for this family of drugs in Xenopus is 2C-I > 2C-B > 2C-D > 2C-H. [41]
Although 2C-B itself was not evaluated, other closely related members of the 2C series, including 2C-C, 2C-D, 2C-E, 2C-I, and 2C-T-2, all showed no activity as monoamine releasing agents of serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine (EC50 = >100,000 nM or "inactive"). [42] [43] Likewise, these other 2C derivatives showed little activity as serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonists (EC50 = >3,000 nM). [43]
2C-B has been shown to be metabolized by liver hepatocytes, resulting in deamination and demethylation that produces several products. Oxidative deamination results in the 2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-ethanol (BDMPE) and 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenylacetic acid (BDMPAA) metabolites. Additionally, 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid (BDMBA) can also be produced by oxidative deamination. Further metabolism of BDMPE and BDMPAA may occur by demethylation. Alternatively, the later metabolites can be generated by demethylation of 2C-B followed by oxidative deamination. [25]
There is species differentiation in the metabolism of 2C-B. Mice hepatocytes produce 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxy-phenol (BDMP), a previously unknown metabolite. Meanwhile, human, monkey and rabbit hepatocytes produce 2-(4-bromo-2-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-ethanol (B-2-HMPE), but dog, rat and mouse hepatocytes do not. [25] 2C-B also reduces aggressive responses in drugged rats. [44]
Analogues and derivatives of 2C-B:
25-N:
Other:
A variety of N-substituted derivatives of 2C-B have been tested, including N-methyl-2CB, N,N-dimethyl-2CB, N-ethyl-2CB and N-benzyl-2CB. Most simple alkyl derivatives were considerably less potent than 2C-B, with N-ethyl-2CB for instance having a 40 times lower affinity for the 5-HT2A receptor. The N-benzyl derivative however was found to have higher binding affinity than 2C-B itself, with N-(4-bromobenzyl)-2CB binding even more tightly. [49] This initial research did not include functional assays of activity, but later led to the development of potent substituted N-benzyl derivatives such as 25B-NBOMe, [50] and 25B-NBOH. βk-2C-B shows dramatically reduced potency and efficacy as a serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist compared to 2C-B. [37]
Exposing compounds to the reagents gives a colour change which is indicative of the compound under test.
Marquis | Mecke | Mandelin | Liebermann | Froehde | Robadope |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yellow to green | Yellow to olive brownish | green | Yellow to black | Yellow to green | Slow pink |
Ehrlich | Hofmann | Simon's | Scott | Folin | |
No reaction | No reaction | No reaction | No reaction | (Light) purple |
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs added 2C-B to Schedule II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances in March 2001. [51]
2C-B is a scheduled drug in most jurisdictions. [52] The following is a partial list of territories where the substance has been scheduled.
2C-B is controlled under the List 1, as well as similar substances like 2C-I or 2C-T-2. [53]
2C-B is controlled in Australia and on the list of substances subject to import and export controls (Appendix B). It was placed on Schedule One of the Drugs Misuse and Trafficking Act when it first came to notice in 1994, when in a showcase legal battle chemist R. Simpson was charged with manufacturing the substance in Sydney. Alexander Shulgin came to Australia to testify on behalf of the defense, to no avail.
2C-B is not specifically listed in the Australia Poisons Standard (October 2015), however similar drugs such as 2C-T-2 and 2C-I are making 2C-B fall under the Australian analogue act. [54]
In Belgium, 2C-B is a controlled substance making production, distribution, and possession illegal.
In Brazil, 2C-B is a controlled substance making production, distribution, and possession illegal.
In Canada, 2C-B is classified under Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as Schedule III as "4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxybenzeneethanamine and any salt, isomer or salt of isomer thereof". [55]
2C-B has been rescheduled (Schedule III), in a new amendment, taking effect on October 31, 2016. This is to include the other 2C-x analogues. [56]
In August 2007, 2C-B, along with many other psychologically active substances, [57] was added to Ley 20.000, known as the Ley de Drogas .
Possession of more than 200 mg of 2C-B is punishable with a two years jail sentence. [58] Smaller amount is punishable by a fine. The 200 mg threshold is merely a guideline which the court can reconsider depending on circumstances.
In Estonia, 2C-B is classified as Schedule I.
In Germany, 2C-B is controlled in the Betäubungsmittelgesetz (BtMG) Anlage I as "Bromdimethoxyphenethylamin" (BDMPEA).
2C-B is schedule I (tabella I). [60]
In Japan, 2C-B was scheduled in 1998. It was previously marketed as "Performax".
In Luxembourg, 2C-B is a prohibited substance since 2001. [61]
In the Netherlands, 2C-B was scheduled on July 9, 1997.
In the Netherlands, 2C-B became a list I substance of the Opium Law despite no health incidents occurring. Following the ban, other phenethylamines were sold in place of 2C-B until the Netherlands became the first country in the world to ban 2C-I, 2C-T-2 and 2C-T-7 alongside 2C-B.
In Norway, 2C-B was classified as Schedule II on March 22, 2004, listed as 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine. [62]
2C-B is schedule I (I-P group) in Poland.
Banned as a narcotic drug with a criminal penalty for possession of at least 10 mg. [63]
In Spain, 2C-B was added to Category 2 prohibited substances in 2002.
2C-B is currently classified as Schedule I in Sweden.
2C-B was first classified as "health hazard" under the act Lagen om förbud mot vissa hälsofarliga varor (Act on the Prohibition of Certain Goods Dangerous to Health) as of April 1, 1999, under SFS 1999:58 [64] that made it illegal to sell or possess. Then it became schedule I as of June 1, 2002, published in LVFS 2002:4 [65] but mislabeled "2-CB" in the document. However, this was corrected in a new document, LVFS 2009:22 [66] effective December 9, 2009.
In Switzerland, 2C-B is listed in Anhang D of the DetMV and is illegal to possess. [67]
All drugs in the 2C family are Class A under the Misuse of Drugs Act which means they are illegal to produce, supply or possess. Possession carries a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment while supply is punishable by life imprisonment and an unlimited fine. [68]
In the United States, 2C-B is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. This became permanent law on June 2, 1995 [69] following a proposal by the Drug Enforcement Administration in December 1994. [70]
2C-T-7 is a psychedelic phenethylamine of the 2C family. In his book PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, Alexander Shulgin lists the dosage range as 10–30 mg. 2C-T-7 is generally taken orally, and produces psychedelic and entactogenic effects that last 8 to 15 hours. Up until Operation Web Tryp and three deaths, two of which involved the use of other drugs in addition to 2C-T-7, and one which involved an excessive insufflated dose, 2C-T-7 was sold commercially in Dutch and Japanese smartshops and online. It is known on the streets as Blue Mystic or 7th Heaven. There has been little real research done on this chemical other than Shulgin's comments in PiHKAL and a few small animal studies mostly aimed at detecting metabolites.
2C-T-2 is a psychedelic and entactogenic phenethylamine of the 2C family. It was first synthesized in 1981 by Alexander Shulgin, and rated by him as one of the "magical half-dozen" most important psychedelic phenethylamine compounds. The drug has structural and pharmacodynamic properties similar to those of 2C-T-7.
2C-T-21 is a psychedelic phenethylamine of the 2C family sometimes used as an entheogen. It was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin.
Dimethoxybromoamphetamine (DOB), also known as brolamfetamine and bromo-DMA, is a psychedelic drug and substituted amphetamine of the phenethylamine class of compounds. DOB was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin in 1967. Its synthesis and effects are documented in Shulgin's book PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story.
2C-T-8 is a psychedelic phenethylamine of the 2C family. It was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin, sometimes used as an entheogen.
2C-TFM is a psychedelic phenethylamine of the 2C family. It was first synthesized in the laboratory of David E. Nichols. It has also been called 2C-CF3, a name derived from the Para-trifluoromethyl group it contains.
2C-B-FLY is a psychedelic phenethylamine and designer drug of the 2C family. It was first synthesized in 1996 by Aaron Monte, Professor of Chemistry at UW-La Crosse.
2C-H (2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine) is a lesser-known substituted phenethylamine of the 2C family.
Ariadne, also known chemically as 4C-D or 4C-DOM, by its developmental code name BL-3912, and by its former tentative brand name Dimoxamine, is a little-known psychoactive drug of the phenethylamine, amphetamine, and phenylisobutylamine families. It is a homologue of the psychedelics 2C-D and DOM.
25I-NBOMe, also known as Smiles, or N-Bomb, is a novel synthetic psychoactive substance with strong hallucinogenic properties, synthesized in 2003 for research purposes. Since 2010, it has circulated in the recreational drug scene, often misrepresented as LSD.
2CBCB-NBOMe (NBOMe-TCB-2) is a compound indirectly derived from the phenethylamine series of hallucinogens, which was discovered in 2007 at Purdue University as part of the ongoing research program of the team led by David Nichols focusing on the mapping of the specific amino acid residues responsible for ligand binding to the 5HT2A receptor. 2CBCB-NBOMe acts as a potent and selective agonist for the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors, with a Ki of 0.27 nM at the human 5-HT2A receptor, a similar potency to other agonists such as TCB-2, NBOMe-2C-I and Bromo-DragonFLY.
2CBFly-NBOMe is a compound indirectly derived from the phenethylamine hallucinogen 2C-B, and related to benzodifurans like 2C-B-FLY and N-benzylphenethylamines like 25I-NBOMe. It was discovered in 2002, and further researched by Ralf Heim at the Free University of Berlin, and subsequently investigated in more detail by a team at Purdue University led by David E. Nichols. It acts as a potent partial agonist for the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor subtype.
25B-NBOMe is a derivative of the phenethylamine psychedelic 2C-B, discovered in 2004 by Ralf Heim at the Free University of Berlin. It acts as a potent full agonist for the 5HT2A receptor. Duration of effects lasts about 3–10 hours, although the parent compound is rapidly cleared from the blood when used in the radiolabeled form in tracer doses. Recently, Custodio et al. (2019) evaluated the potential involvement of dysregulated dopaminergic system, neuroadaptation, and brain wave changes which may contribute to the rewarding and reinforcing properties of 25B-NBOMe in rodents.
2CB-Ind is a conformationally-restricted derivative of the phenethylamine hallucinogen 2C-B, discovered in 1974 by Alexander Shulgin. It acts as a moderately potent and selective agonist for the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors, but unlike the corresponding benzocyclobutene derivative TCB-2 which is considerably more potent than the parent compound 2C-B, 2CB-Ind is several times weaker, with racemic 2CB-Ind having a Ki of 47nM at the human 5-HT2A receptor, only slightly more potent than the mescaline analogue (R)-jimscaline.
βk-2C-B (βeta-keto-4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenylamine), also known as bk-2C-B, is a novel psychedelic substance. It is the beta (β) ketone structural analogue of 2C-B, a psychedelic drug of the 2C family. It is used as a recreational drug, usually taken orally. βk-2C-B is a controlled substance in Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
25B-NBOH is a derivative of the phenethylamine derived hallucinogen 2C-B which has been sold as a designer drug. It acts as a potent serotonin receptor agonist with similar affinity to the better-known compound 25B-NBOMe at 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors with pKis values of 8.3 and 9.4, respectively.
2C-B-BUTTERFLY is a conformationally-restricted derivative of the phenethylamine hallucinogen 2C-B, which was discovered in 1999 by Michael S. Whiteside and Aaron Monte. It is a ring-expanded homologue of the better known compound 2C-B-FLY, and has similar properties as an agonist for serotonin receptors, but with more selectivity for 5-HT2C over 5-HT2A.
25B-NBF is a derivative of the phenethylamine hallucinogen 2C-B, which acts as a highly potent partial agonist for the human 5-HT2A receptor.
25G-NBOMe (NBOMe-2C-G) is a derivative of the phenethylamine hallucinogen 2C-G, which acts as a highly potent agonist for the human 5-HT2A receptor.
βOH-2C-B, is a psychedelic phenethylamine of the 2C family. It is the beta (β) hydroxy structural analogue of 2C-B and is considered a novel psychoactive substance.