The conformational preferences of the dopamine (DA) receptor agonist 5-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (1) and the DA-inactive 5-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (2) have been studied by use of molecular mechanics (MMP2) calculations and NMR spectroscopy. A good agreement is demonstrated between the experimentally determined (by NMR) and the calculated (by MMP2) conformational distribution of 1 and 2. In addition, there is a good agreement between bond distances and bond angles in the X-ray structure of the hydrobromide of 1 and those in the corresponding MMP2 conformation. Results obtained demonstrate that the energetically preferred conformations of 1 and 2 are different: Compound 1 preferentially adopts half-chair conformations with a pseudoequatorial nitrogen substituent whereas the low-energy conformations of compound 2 have a pseudoaxial nitrogen substituent. However, the results also indicate that the difference in conformational preferences is too small to account for the dopaminergic inactivity of 2. Therefore it is suggested that the steric bulk of the C(2)-methyl group per se prevents a proper alignment of (2S)-2 with DA receptors.