title: Identification and characterization of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-nitro-β-phenethylamine (2C-N)--a new member of 2C-series of designer drug.
abstract: The online sale of psychoactive substances, including hallucinogens, is becoming a serious problem in many countries. This paper presents and discusses the mass spectrometric, infrared spectroscopic and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-nitro-β-phenethylamine (2C-N), which was identified in a powder sample seized by the authorities in 2011 in Poland. The molecular mass of 2C-N (226.0954 amu) was confirmed in the LC/ESI-QTOFMS experiment. The molecular ion was also observed in the GC-EI/MS spectrum. A characteristic set of ions for the parent substance was found using both chromatographic methods, and when derivatization with trifuluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) was applied. Two broad dominant bands at 1520 cm(-1) and 1342/1322 cm(-1), observed in the FTIR spectrum of 2C-N, originated from the nitro group. NMR spectroscopy helped unequivocal elucidation of the structure. The applied identification procedure proved to be a powerful tool to determine the structure of a new designer drug.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Research, Westerplatte 9, 31033 Krakow, Poland. dzuba@ies.krakow.pl
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zuba
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekuła
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buczek