Butylone
Butylone, also known as β-keto-N-methylbenzodioxolylbutanamine, is a psychoactive drug of the phenethylamine, amphetamine, phenylisobutylamine, and cathinone families. It is the β-keto analogue of MBDB and the substituted methylenedioxyphenethylamine analogue of buphedrone.
Interactions
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
Butylone acts in a similar way as MDMA and methylone, it causes an increase in extracellular monoamine levels.The following tables lists the half maximal inhibitory and half maximal effective concentrations for norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin receptors, respectively.
| NET | 2.02 |
| DAT | 2.90 |
| SERT | 6.22 |
| DAT | >100 |
| SERT | 5.5 |
Pharmacokinetics
Metabolism
There are three major metabolic pathways of bk-MBDB as shown in the figure. As result of demethylenation followed by O-methylation bk-MBDB metabolises into 4-OH-3-MeO and 3-OH-4-MeO metabolites in human urine. The second pathway is a β-ketone reduction into β-ketone reduced metabolites. The third pathway is a N-dealkylation into N-dealkyl metabolites. The first two pathways occur more than pathway three. The most common metabolite is the 4-OH-3-MeO metabolite. The metabolites containing a hydroxyl-group would be excreted as their conjugates in urine.Chemistry
Synthesis
Butylone can be synthesized via the following route:3,4-methylenedioxybutyrophenone dissolved in dichloromethane to bromine gives 3′,4′-methylenedioxy-2-bromobutyrophenone. This product was then dissolved in dichloromethane and added to an aqueous solution of methylamine. HCl was then added. The aqueous layer was removed and made alkaline by using sodium bicarbonate. For the extraction of the amine ether was used. To get butylone a drop of ether and HCl solution was added.