Origins of 4MMC/ mephedrone

[Tryptamite]

Without going into synthesis discussion itself, I remember reading a hive thread by "Kinetic" describing synthesis and bio-assay of 4MMC.

Kinetic (hive) 2003

I've been bored over the last couple of days and had a few fun reagents lying around, so I though I'd try and make some 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-methylaminopropanone hydrochloride, or 4-methylmethcathinone as I suppose it would be commonly called.

It's a fun drug, and although less potent than methcathinone (unless my tolerance is really high), it's easy to make, and best of all, legal! Hopefully someone will find this of use, or at least of interest...

I cant really find anything about it before 2004. Does anybody know anything about its invention? I presume some industrious fucker read that thread and put in an bulk order with China.

 

[SKL]

Originally synthesized quite a long time ago:

Saem de Burnaga Sanchez, J. “Sur un homologue de l’ephedrine”, Bulletin de la Société Chimique de France 45 (1929): 284-86.

Then long forgotten.

But I'm assume you're asking about the modern era:

I presume some industrious fucker read that thread and put in an bulk order with China.

This is exactly what happened, ca. 2007. I think the first popularization was in one or another iteration of the Israeli "Doves" product, and then around 2008-2010 the floodgates opened and it was ridiculously cheap in powder form, became a huge fad especially in the UK, where it was banned in early 2010, China followed soon thereafter. Now I guess it still circulates but low quality and more often than not less desireable analogues of the original drug which, IMO, was right up their with crack cocaine in terms of the most recreationally viable novel drugs to hit the scene in a long time.

 

[Tryptamite]

France in 1929! I wonder was it bio-assayed or just shelves. Yeah I remember the Israeli products. Was neorganics the company name? I think 2fma was used in one of their powder in capsules or pills.

You are correct about it being like crack cocaine in terms of fiending and effects to an extent.