2C-Ph
2C-Ph, or 2C-Phenyl, also known as 2C-BI-1 or as 2,5-dimethoxy-4-phenylphenethylamine, is a serotonin receptor modulator of the phenethylamine and 2C families that was developed by Daniel Trachsel and David E. Nichols and colleagues.
The drug's affinity for the rat serotonin 5-HT2A receptor was 778nM. It was said to be an antagonist of this receptor. In a subsequent study, 2C-Ph was a weak partial agonist of the human serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. The drug also shows affinity for the serotonin 5-HT1A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT2C receptors, but did not activate the serotonin 5-HT2B receptor. In addition, it interacted with other monoamine receptors, with the monoamine transporters, and was a potent and high-efficacy partial agonist of the human trace amine-associated receptor 1 .
Besides 2C-Ph itself, a variety of derivatives of 2C-Ph with substituents on the 4-position phenyl ring have been synthesized and studied by Trachsel and colleagues. These drugs, inclusive of 2C-Ph, have been denoted 2C-BI-1 to 2C-BI-12. 2C-BI-4, 2C-BI-8, and 2C-BI-12 are agonists of the human serotonin 5-HT2A receptor with higher efficacy than 2C-Ph. The effects of 2C-Ph and its derivatives in humans are unknown. However, 2C-BI-8 and 2C-BI-12, the most potent agonists, in particular might have the potential for psychedelic effects.
2C-Ph was first described in the scientific literature, by Trachsel and Nichols and colleagues, in 2009. It is a controlled substance in Canada under phenethylamine blanket-ban language.