List of psychedelic chemists

This is a list of psychedelic chemists, or of chemists who first identified, isolated, and/or synthesized specific psychedelic drugs or otherwise contributed to psychedelic chemistry: ^[1]

• Albert Hofmann – discovered LSD, isolated psilocybin from psilocybin-containing mushrooms and ergine from morning glory, developed numerous lysergamides and some psilocybin analogues
• Alexander Shulgin – developed numerous psychedelic phenethylamines and tryptamines ^{[2] [3]}
• Arthur Heffter – isolated mescaline from peyote
• Charles D. Nichols – developed certain medically intended psychedelics such as 2C-iBu
• Daniel Trachsel – developed numerous psychedelic phenethylamines ^{[4] [5] [6]}
• Darrell Lemaire – developed the TWEETIO psychedelics
• David E. Nichols – developed numerous psychedelic phenethylamines, tryptamines, and lysergamides
• David E. Olson – founder of Delix Therapeutics, developed various psychedelic-related drugs such as tabernanthalog, zalsupindole, and JRT
• David Repke – developed numerous psychedelic tryptamines ^[7]
• Gordon Alles – discovered the effects of MDA, the first synthetic psychedelic, and other work
• Hamilton Morris – developed various psychedelics ^[8]
• Jason Wallach – developed various psychedelics ^[8]
• Lizard Labs (Alexander Stratford) – developed numerous LSD prodrugs such as 1P-LSD and 1V-LSD
• Louis Lewin – attempted to isolate mescaline from peyote
• Matthew J. Baggott – founder of Tactogen, developed novel entactogens and psychedelics
• P. Rausch – developed various psychedelic phenethylamines and disclosed many of them via Daniel Trachsel ^{[4] [5] [9]}
• Peyton Jacob III – worked with Alexander Shulgin developing psychedelics
• Richard Glennon – developed numerous psychedelic phenethylamines and tryptamines
• Robert Oberlender – a student in the lab of David E. Nichols who developed and studied various psychedelics and entactogens
• Stephen Szára – discovered the effects of DMT, developed various psychedelic DMT analogues
• William Leonard Pickard – manufactured LSD and tested other psychedelics like 5-fluoro-AMT, 6-fluoro-AMT, and possibly LSZ

See also

• List of chemists
• List of psychedelic drugs

References

1. Walker, Scott R.; Pullella, Glenn A.; Piggott, Matthew J.; Duggan, Peter J. (5 July 2023). "Introduction to the chemistry and pharmacology of psychedelic drugs". Australian Journal of Chemistry. 76 (5): 236–257. doi: 10.1071/CH23050 . ISSN   0004-9425 . Retrieved 19 October 2025.
2. Shulgin, Alexander; Shulgin, Ann (September 1991). PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story. Berkeley, California: Transform Press. ISBN   0-9630096-0-5. OCLC   25627628.
3. Shulgin, Alexander; Shulgin, Ann (September 1997). TiHKAL: The Continuation. Berkeley, California: Transform Press. ISBN   0-9630096-9-9. OCLC   38503252.
4. Trachsel D (2012). "Fluorine in psychedelic phenethylamines" . Drug Test Anal. 4 (7–8): 577–590. doi:10.1002/dta.413. PMID   22374819.
5. Trachsel, D.; Lehmann, D.; Enzensperger, C. (2013). Phenethylamine: von der Struktur zur Funktion [Phenethylamines: From Structure to Function]. Nachtschatten-Science (in German) (1 ed.). Solothurn: Nachtschatten-Verlag. ISBN   978-3-03788-700-4. OCLC   858805226. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025.
6. Kolaczynska KE, Luethi D, Trachsel D, Hoener MC, Liechti ME (2021). "Receptor Interaction Profiles of 4-Alkoxy-3,5-Dimethoxy-Phenethylamines (Mescaline Derivatives) and Related Amphetamines" (PDF). Front Pharmacol. 12 794254. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.794254 . PMC   8865417 . PMID   35222010.
7. Klein AK, Chatha M, Laskowski LJ, Anderson EI, Brandt SD, Chapman SJ, McCorvy JD, Halberstadt AL (April 2021). "Investigation of the Structure-Activity Relationships of Psilocybin Analogues". ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. 4 (2): 533–542. doi:10.1021/acsptsci.0c00176. PMC   8033608 . PMID   33860183. Repke synthesized several other psilocin homologues, including 4-hydroxy-N-methyl-N-ethyltryptamine (4-HO-MET), 4-hydroxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine (4-HO-MIPT), 4-hydroxy-N,N-dipropyltryptamine (4-HO-DPT), and 4-hydroxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (4-HO-DIPT).63,64
8. Wallach J, Cao AB, Calkins MM, Heim AJ, Lanham JK, Bonniwell EM, Hennessey JJ, Bock HA, Anderson EI, Sherwood AM, Morris H, de Klein R, Klein AK, Cuccurazzu B, Gamrat J, Fannana T, Zauhar R, Halberstadt AL, McCorvy JD (December 2023). "Identification of 5-HT2A receptor signaling pathways associated with psychedelic potential". Nat Commun. 14 (1): 8221. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44016-1. PMC   10724237 . PMID   38102107.
9. Rausch, P. (January 1995). Leuner, Hanscarl; Schlichting, Michael; European College for the Study of Consciousness (eds.). Jahrbuch des Europäischen Collegiums für Bewußtseinsstudien: 1995[Yearbook of the European College for the Study of Consciousness: 1995] (in German and English). Vol. 4. Berlin: VWB. ASIN   3861354071. ISBN   978-3861354079. ISSN   0942-7600. OCLC   28636362.{{cite book}}: Check |asin= value (help)