Protonitazene

Protonitazene is a benzimidazole derivative with potent opioid effects which has been sold over the internet as a designer drug since 2019, and has been identified in various European countries, as well as Canada, the US and Australia.^[1] It has been linked to numerous cases of drug overdose, and is a Schedule I drug in the US.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Protonitazene

Legal status
Legal status	BR: Class F1 (Prohibited narcotics) DE: Anlage II (Authorized trade only, not prescriptible) UK: Under Psychoactive Substances Act US: Schedule I
Identifiers
IUPAC name N,N-diethyl-2-[5-nitro-2-[(4-propoxyphenyl)methyl]benzimidazol-1-yl]ethanamine
CAS Number	95958-84-2
PubChem CID	156589001
UNII	4A6RZQ7M2V
KEGG	C22683
ChEBI	CHEBI:234363
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID301342658
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C23H30N4O3
Molar mass	410.518 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
SMILES CCCOC1=CC=C(C=C1)CC2=NC3=C(N2CCN(CC)CC)C=CC(=C3)[N+](=O)[O-]
InChI InChI=1S/C23H30N4O3/c1-4-15-30-20-10-7-18(8-11-20)16-23-24-21-17-19(27(28)29)9-12-22(21)26(23)14-13-25(5-2)6-3/h7-12,17H,4-6,13-16H2,1-3H3 Key:SJHUJFHOXYDSJY-UHFFFAOYSA-N

It was developed by a Swiss pharmaceutical company in the 1950s as an alternative to morphine, but was never adopted due to severe side effects.^[7]

See also

• Etonitazene
• Isotonitazene
• Metonitazene
• Secbutonitazene