NMR-based structure elucidation and chiral separation of N-cyclohexylmethylone, a novel designer drug

Synthetic cathinones belong to one of the biggest and most popular classes of New Psychoactive Substances. Each year, new derivatives appear on the drug market, traded under various labels like "bath salts" or "legal highs". In recent years, the emergence of new cathinone derivatives, containing a cyclohexyl residue, has been observed. Since 2021, threads about N-cyclohexylmethylone have been posted in various user forums. A powder sample of N-cyclohexylmethylone purchased by a client was collected in Austria in a local drug checking program and analyzed by GC-MS, LC-HRMS NMR spectroscopy and chiral HPLC. The aim of this study was to provide experimental NMR data of the compound and to determine the chiral status of the sample. Usually, cathinone derivatives are sold as racemic mixtures on the market. Investigation showed that in the sample both enantiomers were present.