# 2C-D
**2C-D** (2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenethylamine) is a synthetic psychedelic phenethylamine of the 2C series, a family defined by a primary amine separated from a benzene ring by two carbon atoms, methoxy groups at ring positions 2 and 5, and a hydrophobic substituent at position 4, which in 2C-D is a methyl group.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3657019/) • [2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945162/) In the United States it is a Schedule I controlled substance.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945162/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Chemical name | 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenethylamine; the "2C" refers to the two carbons between the amino group and the benzene ring, and the "D" to the 4-methyl substituent shared with DOM[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3657019/) • [3](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9191638/) |
| First published synthesis | 1970, by a team from the Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences[4](https://en.psychonautwiki.org/wiki/2C-D) |
| Shulgin self-experiments | Sub-threshold doses reportedly tested in 1964–1965; active doses in 1974–1975[5](https://psychedex.org/substances/2c-d/evidence) |
| Psychotherapeutic use | Studied in the late 1970s and early 1980s by the psychiatrist Hanscarl Leuner under the code name LE-25[3](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9191638/) |
| US legal status | Schedule I controlled substance, a category with recognized abuse liability and no accepted therapeutic use[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945162/) |
| Pharmacology | Acts on serotonin receptors, with partial agonism at 5-HT2C; the 5-HT2A receptor is regarded as central to the psychedelic effects of the 2C class[6](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762925/) |
| Metabolism | Deaminated by monoamine oxidases; CYP2D6 plays only a very small role[7](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006295206005971) • [1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3657019/) |
## Chemistry and naming
The 2C series takes its name from an acronym invented by [Alexander Shulgin](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexander-shulgin), the American chemist who documented the syntheses and human effects of many members of the family, to describe the two carbon atoms between the amino group and the benzene ring.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3657019/) The position-4 substituent determines the specific compound: a methyl group gives 2C-D, an ethyl group [2C-E](https://www.edgepedia.org/2c-e), and a halogen such as iodine gives 2C-I.[6](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762925/) The letter D in 2C-D corresponds to the 4-methyl group, the same substituent that defines the amphetamine analog DOM (2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine).[3](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9191638/) 2C-D differs from DOM by lacking the alpha-methyl group of the amphetamine side chain, a structural difference that separates the phenethylamine (2C) series from the DOx amphetamine series.[8](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsptsci.4c00157)
## History
A group at the Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences published the first account of how to make 2C-D in 1970.[4](https://en.psychonautwiki.org/wiki/2C-D) In self-experiments, Shulgin is said to have tried the compound below the threshold around 1964–1965, then at psychoactive levels during 1974–1975, noting its mind-altering effects.[5](https://psychedex.org/substances/2c-d/evidence)
**Psychotherapeutic research.** During the late 1970s and early 1980s, 2C-D received considerable attention from psychiatrists as a psychotherapeutic adjunct, most notably from Hanscarl Leuner, the German psychiatrist who worked with the compound extensively under the code name LE-25 and pioneered the concept of [psychedelic therapy](https://www.edgepedia.org/psychedelic-therapy).[3](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9191638/) This clinical interest preceded the broader control of the 2C class; 2C-D later joined compounds such as 2C-E, 2C-C, 2C-I, and 2C-T-2 on the US Schedule I restricted list.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3657019/)
## Pharmacology
2C and NBOMe drugs act mainly by interacting with serotonin receptors in the brain, especially the 5-HT2A subtype, which is generally regarded as central to their psychedelic properties.[6](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762925/) Within this class, 2C-D acts as a partial agonist (drug that activates a receptor only partially, blunting full response) at the 5-HT2C receptor, with no preference for either signaling pathway.[6](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762925/) [In vitro](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-vitro), 2C-D, together with 2C-B, 2C-E, 2C-H, 2C-I, 2C-N, and 2C-T-7, reduces monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) activity, with IC50 values between 1.7 and 180 µM across these compounds; the known MAO-B inhibitor selegiline is far more potent, with an IC50 of 0.017 µM.[6](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762925/) Because MAO-A and MAO-B participate in the deamination of 2C drugs, co-use with MAO inhibitors could raise plasma concentrations and the risk of adverse effects.[6](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762925/)
**Metabolism.** 2C compounds are deaminated and then oxidized to the corresponding acid or base.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3657019/) For 2C-D, 2C-E, 2C-T-2, and 2C-T-7, the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme CYP2D6 is also involved, but only to a very small extent.[7](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006295206005971)
## Legal status and detection
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration categorizes 2C-D among hallucinogenic substituted phenethylamines as a Schedule I substance, a category having abuse liability and no recognized therapeutic uses.[2](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945162/) State law follows suit: Florida's controlled substances statute lists 2C-D (4-methyl-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine) among the scheduled substituted phenethylamines, and a Nevada legislative listing gives 2-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)ethanamine with 2C-D as an alternate name.[9](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/statutes/2025/893.03) • [10](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Notice/Doc/December2025AgendaWorkshopsLCB.12042025.584.pdf)
Forensic laboratories detect 2C-D with chromatography-mass spectrometry methods. In one validated forensic toxicology method, the limit of detection for 2C-D in blood was 0.5 ng/mL and the limit of quantitation was 0.5 ng/mL.[11](https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/241439.pdf) A GC-MS method for quantifying several 2C series drugs including 2C-D in human blood or plasma, using heptafluorobutyric anhydride derivatization, was linear from 5 to 500 ng/mL.[12](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11419-022-00638-6)
## References
1. [2C or Not 2C: Phenethylamine Designer Drug Review, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3657019/)
2. [Behavioral and neurochemical pharmacology of six psychoactive substituted phenethylamines, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3945162/)
3. [Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: NBOMes, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9191638/)
4. [2C-D, PsychonautWiki](https://en.psychonautwiki.org/wiki/2C-D)
5. [2C-D — Evidence, Psychedex](https://psychedex.org/substances/2c-d/evidence)
6. [Toxicodynamic insights of 2C and NBOMe drugs – Is there abuse potential?, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11762925/)
7. [Identification of monoamine oxidase and cytochrome P450 isoenzymes involved in the deamination of phenethylamine-derived designer drugs (2C-series), ScienceDirect](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006295206005971)
8. [DOI: From an Obscure to Pivotal Member of the DOX Family of Serotonergic Psychedelic Agents, ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsptsci.4c00157)
9. [Chapter 893 Section 03, 2025 Florida Statutes](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/statutes/2025/893.03)
10. [December 2025 Agenda, Nevada Legislature](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/Notice/Doc/December2025AgendaWorkshopsLCB.12042025.584.pdf)
11. [Designer Amphetamines in Forensic Toxicology Casework, OJP](https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/241439.pdf)
12. [Analysis of 2,5-dimethoxy-amphetamines and 2,5-dimethoxy-phenethylamines in biological matrices: a review, Forensic Toxicology](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11419-022-00638-6)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Chemistry › Organic substances › Amines and nitrogen functional groups › Psychoactive amine substance families › Phenethylamine substance families › 2C series (2,5-dimethoxy-4-substituted phenethylamines)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license