Fipexide (Attentil, Vigilor) is a

psychoactive drug A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior. ...

of the

piperazine Piperazine () is an organic compound that consists of a six-membered ring containing two nitrogen atoms at opposite positions in the ring. Piperazine exists as small alkaline deliquescent crystals with a saline taste. The piperazines are a broad ...

chemical class Chemical classification systems attempt to classify elements or compounds according to certain chemical functional or structural properties. Whereas the structural properties are largely intrinsic, functional properties and the derived classificat ...

which was developed in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in 1983. It was used as a

nootropic Nootropics ( , or ) (colloquial: smart drugs and cognitive enhancers, similar to adaptogens) are a wide range of natural or synthetic supplements or drugs and other substances that are claimed to improve cognitive function or to promote re ...

drug in Italy and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, mainly for the treatment of senile dementia, but is no longer in common use due to the occurrence of rare adverse drug reactions including

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

and

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...

. Fipexide is similar in action to other nootropic drugs such as

piracetam Piracetam is a drug marketed as a treatment for myoclonus. It is also used as a cognitive enhancer to improve memory, attention, and learning. Evidence to support its use is unclear, with some studies showing modest benefits in specific populat ...

and has a few similarities in chemical structure to

centrophenoxine Meclofenoxate (INN, BAN; brand name Lucidril, also known as centrophenoxine) is a cholinergic nootropic used as a dietary supplement. It is an ester of dimethylethanolamine (DMAE) and 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (pCPA). In elderly patients, me ...

. Chemically, it is an amide union of parachlorophenoxyacetate and methylenedioxybenzylpiperazine (MDBZP), and has been shown to metabolize to the latter, which plays a significant role in its effects.

Synthesis

PTC alkylation of

(1) with 2 equivalents of piperonyl chloride 5054-53-9(2) in the presence of cetrimonium bromide gives 1,4-bis-piperonylpiperazine 5436-41-4(3). Base catalyzed treatment with 4-Chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4) displaces one of the piperonyl groups to give fipexide (5).

References

Nootropics Benzodioxoles Piperazines Carboxamides Phenol ethers Chloroarenes Serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agents {{psychoactive-stub

Synthesis

See also

References