Identification and structural characterization of four novel synthetic cathinones: α-methylaminohexanophenone (hexedrone, HEX), 4-bromoethcathinone (4-BEC), 4-chloro-α-pyrrolidinopropiophenone (4-Cl-PPP), and 4-bromo-α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (4-Br-PVP) after their seizures

Over 560 new psychoactive substances have been detected via the European Union Early Warning System (EU-EWS) of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) between 2005 and 2015. Among them, 103 synthetic cathinones have been identified, which are the second largest group monitored by EMCDDA. National Medicines Institute in Poland analyzed over six thousands samples of designer drugs containing psychoactive substances from 2008 to 2015 by applying complementary techniques, i.e., liquid chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry, gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Among over 150 identified psychoactive substances from different groups, the largest was an ensemble of substituted cathinones containing 48 items. Most of them were cathinones not covered by the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction in Poland at the time of identification; however, they have been added successively to the list of banned compounds in the consecutive amendments of the Act. The present study describes the structure identification and spectral characterization of four novel substituted cathinones: hexedrone [2-methylamino-1-(phenyl)hexan-1-one], 4-BEC [1-(4-bromophenyl)-2-(ethylamino)propan-1-one], 4-Cl-PPP [1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)propan-1-one], and 4-Br-PVP [1-(4-bromophenyl)-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)pentan-1-one], seized prior to being sold on the drug market. They were identified for the first time by us and reported to EU-EWS EMCDDA.