3',4'-methylenedioxy-2,2-dibromobutyrophenone has been identified and fully characterized in a sample obtained from an anonymous consumer acquired as ketamine through the Internet market. The substance has been deeply characterized by using standard and high performance analytical techniques such as: attenuated total reflectance-infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, high-resolution mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance, including 1H, 13C, distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer, two dimensional homonuclear 1H-1H correlation spectroscopy, and 1H-13C heteronuclear single-quantum correlation spectra. 3',4'-methylenedioxy-2,2-dibromobutyrophenone is a precursor or intermediate in the synthesis of several synthetic cathinone derivatives, such as pentylone and methylenedioxy pyrovalerone. It is expected that 3',4'-methylenedioxy-2,2-dibromobutyrophenone does not act as psychoactive substance through disruption nor dysregulation of central and peripheral nervous systems, due to the absence of the characteristic amine group of cathinone derivatives. Although it cannot be considered a trend in new psychoactive substances consumption, the presence in the market and the unknown toxicity of this substance makes it a relevant fact.
Keywords: Attenuated total reflectance-infrared spectroscopy; Counterfeit; Full characterization; New psychoactive substances; Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
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