Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

3C-DFE

3C-DFE, also known as 4-(2,2-difluoroethoxy)-3,5-dimethoxyamphetamine or as α-methyldifluoroescaline (3C-difluoroescaline), is a lesser-known psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine, amphetamine, and 3C families, which is a fluorinated derivative of 3C-E. It was first synthesised by Daniel Trachsel in 2002, and has been reported as showing similar psychedelic activity to related compounds, with an active dose of around 22 mg orally and a duration of approximately 10 hours.

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Jul 16, 2026
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3C-DFE
Clinical data
Other names3C-F2EM; 4-(2,2-Difluoroethoxy)-3,5-dimethoxyamphetamine; α-Methyldifluoroescaline; 3C-Difluoroescaline
Routes of
administration		Oral12
Drug classSerotonin receptor modulator; Serotonergic psychedelic; Hallucinogen
ATC code
  • None
Pharmacokinetic data
Duration of action~10 hours12
Identifiers
  • 1-[4-(2,2-difluoroethoxy)-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl]propan-2-amine
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC13H19F2NO3
Molar mass275.296 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
Melting point171 to 172 °C (340 to 342 °F)
  • COc1cc(CC(N)C)cc(OC)c1OCC(F)F
  • InChI=1S/C13H19F2NO3/c1-8(16)4-9-5-10(17-2)13(11(6-9)18-3)19-7-12(14)15/h5-6,8,12H,4,7,16H2,1-3H3
  • Key:TYXHBMNQOVLYRX-UHFFFAOYSA-N

3C-DFE, also known as 4-(2,2-difluoroethoxy)-3,5-dimethoxyamphetamine or as α-methyldifluoroescaline (3C-difluoroescaline), is a lesser-known psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine, amphetamine, and 3C families, which is a fluorinated derivative of 3C-E.1342 It was first synthesised by Daniel Trachsel in 2002,43 and has been reported as showing similar psychedelic activity to related compounds, with an active dose of around 22 mg orally and a duration of approximately 10 hours.1: 736 

Despite its psychedelic activity, binding studies in vitro showed 3C-DFE to have a surprisingly weak binding affinity of 2,695 nM at the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor with negligible affinity at the serotonin 5-HT2C receptor, making it only slightly higher affinity than mescaline, despite its much higher potency in vivo.1: 737  However, the pharmacology of 3C-DFE was subsequently further studied and it was found to be a potent agonist of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, with an EC50Tooltip half-maximal effective concentration of 120 nM (83-fold that of mescaline in the same study) and an EmaxTooltip maximal efficacy of 95% (relative to 56% with mescaline in the study).2

It is a controlled substance in Canada under phenethylamine blanket-ban language.5

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Trachsel D, Lehmann D, Enzensperger C (2013). Phenethylamine Von der Struktur zur Funktion. Nachtschatten Verlag AG. pp. 704–723. ISBN 978-3-03788-700-4.
  2. Kolaczynska KE, Luethi D, Trachsel D, Hoener MC, Liechti ME (2021). "Receptor Interaction Profiles of 4-Alkoxy-3,5-Dimethoxy-Phenethylamines (Mescaline Derivatives) and Related Amphetamines". Front Pharmacol. 12 794254. doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.794254. PMC 8865417. PMID 35222010.
  3. Trachsel, Daniel (2012). "Fluorine in psychedelic phenethylamines". Drug Testing and Analysis. 4 (7–8): 577–90. doi:10.1002/dta.413. PMID 22374819.
  4. Trachsel, Daniel (2002). "Synthese von neuen (Phenylalkyl)aminen zur Untersuchung von Struktur-Aktivitätsbeziehungen, Mitteilung 1, Mescalin Derivate". Helvetica Chimica Acta. 85 (9): 3019–3026. doi:10.1002/1522-2675(200209)85:9<3019::AID-HLCA3019>3.0.CO;2-4.
  5. "Controlled Drugs and Substances Act". Department of Justice Canada. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
External links