2-MDP (U-23807A) is a

dissociative Dissociatives, colloquially dissos, are a subclass of hallucinogens which distort perception of sight and sound and produce feelings of detachment – dissociation – from the environment and/or self. Although many kinds of drugs are capable of ...

anaesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two ...

drug which has been found to be an

NMDA antagonist NMDA receptor antagonists are a class of drugs that work to antagonize, or inhibit the action of, the ''N''-Methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). They are commonly used as anesthetics for animals and humans; the state of anesthesia they induce ...

and produces similar effects to PCP in animals. The ''levo'' or (-)

isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers. Iso ...

is the active form of the drug. It also has

stimulant Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those that increase activity of the central nervous system and the body, drugs that are pleasurable and inv ...

effects, having only around one third the potency of

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...

by weight, but with a long duration of action, lasting more than 24 hours from a single oral dose.

Effects

The therapeutic action is said to exhibit appetite suppressant and antidepressantShipley GS, Bishop MP, Gallant DM. A controlled evaluation of U-23,807A in the neurotic depressive syndrome. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 1967 Oct;9(10):514-6. PMID: 4964946. like activity.

Synthesis

In a variation of the ''nitrile-Aldol reaction'' (also demonstrated for

venlafaxine Venlafaxine, sold under the brand name Effexor among others, is an antidepressant medication of the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) class. It is used to treat major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic di ...

), combination of

benzophenone Benzophenone is the organic compound with the formula (C6H5)2CO, generally abbreviated Ph2CO. It is a white solid that is soluble in organic solvents. Benzophenone is a widely used building block in organic chemistry, being the parent diarylket ...

(1) and

propionitrile Propionitrile, also known as ethyl cyanide and propanenitrile, is an organic compound with the formula CH3CH2CN. It is a simple aliphatic nitrile. The compound is a colourless, water-soluble liquid. It is used as a solvent and a precursor to oth ...

(2), in the presence of

sodamide Sodium amide, commonly called sodamide (systematic name sodium azanide), is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula, formula . It is a salt (chemistry), salt composed of the sodium cation and the azanide anion. This solid, which is dangero ...

base and

ethyl ether Diethyl ether, or simply ether, is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula , sometimes abbreviated as (see Pseudoelement symbols). It is a colourless, highly volatile, sweet-smelling ("ethereal odour"), extremely flammable liq ...

solvent, leads to 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-3,3-diphenylpropanenitrile 275-86-1(3). The reduction of the intermediate nitrile group with lithium aluminium hydride completed the synthesis of U-23,807A (4).

References

Dissociative drugs Stimulants {{hallucinogen-stub