Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 26, 2026

Protonitazepyne

Protonitazepyne is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects, which has been sold as a designer drug over the internet, first being mentioned in mid 2022 and definitively identified in drug seizures in Canada in early 2023 and Ireland in late 2023. It has since been identified by CanTEST in May 2024 in Australia and in late 2025 in Brazil by the State University of Campinas poison control center.

Last revised
Jul 26, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Protonitazepyne
Identifiers
  • 5-nitro-2-(4-propoxybenzyl)-1-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)ethyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
UNII
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC23H28N4O3
Molar mass408.502 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • CCCOC1=CC=C(C=C1)CC2=NC3=C(N2CCN4CCCC4)C=CC(=C3)[N+](=O)[O-]
  • InChI=1S/C23H28N4O3/c1-2-15-30-20-8-5-18(6-9-20)16-23-24-21-17-19(27(28)29)7-10-22(21)26(23)14-13-25-11-3-4-12-25/h5-10,17H,2-4,11-16H2,1H3
  • Key:KCRWXNIIXGBPID-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Protonitazepyne (N-pyrrolidino protonitazene) is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects, which has been sold as a designer drug over the internet, first being mentioned in mid 2022 and definitively identified in drug seizures in Canada in early 2023 and Ireland in late 2023.1 It has since been identified by CanTEST in May 2024 in Australia23 and in late 2025 in Brazil by the State University of Campinas poison control center.4

It is an analogue of protonitazene where the N,N-diethyl group has been substituted for pyrrolidine group. While formal studies into its pharmacology have yet to be carried out, it is has an in vitro potency approximately 350x times that of morphine.5

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Killoran S, McNamara S, Kavanagh P, O'Brien J, Lakes R (May 2024). "Identification of N-pyrrolidino protonitazene in powders sold as heroin and associated with overdose clusters in Dublin and Cork, Ireland". Drug Testing and Analysis. 17 (3): 350–357. doi:10.1002/dta.3707. PMID 38769669.
  2. Curtis B, Lawes DJ, Caldicott D, McLeod MD (October 2025). "Identification of the Novel Synthetic Opioid N-Pyrrolidino Isotonitazene at an Australian Drug Checking Service". Drug Testing and Analysis. 17 (10): 1996–2004. doi:10.1002/dta.3910. PMC 12489282. PMID 40384477.
  3. "N-pyrrolidino protonitazene found in brown powder sample". The Know. Australia: National Clinical Centre for Research of Emerging Drugs (NCCRED). 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  4. "Unicamp identifica nova droga 50 vezes mais potente que fentanil pela 1ª vez no Brasil; entenda". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-10-12. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  5. De Vrieze LM, Walton SE, Pottie E, Papsun D, Logan BK, Krotulski AJ, et al. (September 2024). "In vitro structure-activity relationships and forensic case series of emerging 2-benzylbenzimidazole 'nitazene' opioids". Archives of Toxicology. 98 (9): 2999–3018. Bibcode:2024ArTox..98.2999D. doi:10.1007/s00204-024-03774-7. PMC 11324687. PMID 38877156.