Analytical characterization of three cathinone derivatives, 4-MPD, 4 F-PHP and bk-EPDP, purchased as bulk powder from online vendors

Novel emerging drugs of abuse, also referred as new psychoactive substances (NPS), constitute an ever-changing mixture of chemical compounds designed to circumvent legislative controls by means of chemical modifications of previously banned recreational drugs. One of such class, synthetic cathinones, namely β-keto derivatives of amphetamines, has been largely abused over the past decade. A number of new synthetic cathinones are detected each year, either in bulk powders/crystals or in biological matrices. It is therefore important to continuously monitor the supply of new synthetic derivatives and promptly report them. By using complementary analytical techniques (i.e. 1D and 2D NMR, FT-IR, GC-MS, HRMS and HPLC-UV), this study investigates the detection, identification and full characterization of 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-(methylamino)-pentanone (4-methyl-pentedrone, 4-MPD), 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)-hexanone (4 F-PHP) and 1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-(ethylamino)-1-pentanone (bk-EPDP), three emerging cathinone derivatives.