A. Synthesized in Dr. John W. Huffman’s lab at Clemson University

Several synthetic aminoalkyl indoles (AAI) cannabinoids were designed and synthesized in Dr. John W. Huffman’s lab at Clemson University to study CB1 and CB2 receptor binding and bear his initials in their names. They include

  • JWH-018 (1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole)
  • JWH-019 (1-hexyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole)
  • JWH-073 (1-butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole)
  • JWH-081 (1-pentyl-3-[1-(4-methoxynaphthoyl)]indole)
  • JWH-122 (1-pentyl-3-(4methyl-1-naphthoyl)indole)
  • JWH-200 (1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole)
  • JWH-203 (1-pentyl3-(2-chlorophenylacetyl)indole)
  • JWH-210, JWH-250 (1-pentyl-3-(2-methoxyphenylacetyl)indole)
  • JWH-398 (1-pentyl-3-(4-chloro-1-naphthoyl)indole).

They are marketed as “K2,” “spice,” or “synthetic marijuana.” All except JWH-210 are CSA Schedule I agents.

B. Synthesized by Dr. Alexandros Makriyannis’ (AM) group at Northeastern University

The produced by Dr. Alexandros Makriyannis’ group at Northeastern University, (AM) synthetic cannabinoids, such as:

  • AM-694 (1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(2-iodobenzoyl)indole)
  • AM-678 (same as JWH-018)
  • AM-2201 (1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole)

References: Introduction to Forensic Chemistry By Kelly M. Elkins · 2018

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