science

NBOMe-mescaline

NBOMe-mescaline is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NBOMe-mescaline rather than just read about it. In short: NBOMe-mescaline, also known as mescaline-NBOMe, M-NBOMe, or N-(2-methoxybenzyl)-3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine, is a serotonin receptor agonist and putative psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine, scaline, and N-benzylphenethylamine (NBOMe) families. It is the N-(2-methoxybenzyl) derivative of mescaline.

Key takeaways

NBOMe-mescaline belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NBOMe-mescaline to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NBOMe-mescaline from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NBOMe-mescaline, also known as mescaline-NBOMe, M-NBOMe, or N-(2-methoxybenzyl)-3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine, is a serotonin receptor agonist and putative psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine, scaline, and N-benzylphenethylamine (NBOMe) families. It is the N-(2-methoxybenzyl) derivative of mescaline.

Use and effects The active dose range of NBOMe-mescaline in humans has not been clearly reported and hence is unknown. This is in notable contrast to many other NBOMe drugs. However, Daniel Trachsel has reported that NBOMe-mescaline at an oral dose of 50 mg three times separated by 1.5 hours each (150 mg total over about 4.5 hours) produced hallucinogenic effects and was somewhat more potent than mescaline, but only lasted 5 or 6 hours with the employed dosing scheme. It was estimated that the duration if a single dose were to be taken would probably be about 2 to 3 hours. NBOMe drugs are known to have very poor oral bioavailability, so NBOMe-mescaline could be much more potent by parenteral routes such as sublingual or intranasal administration. In terms of its effects, NBOMe-mescaline was described as somehow shifting the axis of the field of vision. Its effects, or rather after-effects, were described as unpleasant.

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

NBOMe-mescaline is a partial agonist of serotonin receptors, with a 5-HT2A pKi originally reported as 7.3 (i.e. Ki of approximately 50 nM), though more modern techniques assayed it as 140 nM at 5-HT2A and 640 nM at 5-HT2C, making it one of the least potent compounds among the N-benzylphenethylamines. Nonetheless, it is 68-fold more potent than mescaline as a serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist in vitro. However, in another study, it was only about 3.3-fold more potent as a serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist compared to mescaline in vitro. The interactions of NBOMe-mescaline with various receptors and transporters have been characterized and described.

Chemistry Solubility of the hydrochloride salt: ~5 mg/ml in Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) @ pH 7.2; ~10 mg/ml in ethanol & DMF; ~20 mg/ml in DMSO.

Synthesis NBOMe-mescaline can be synthesized from mescaline and 2-methoxybenzaldehyde, via reductive alkylation. That can be done stepwise by first making the imine and then reducing the formed imine with sodium borohydride, or by direct reaction with sodium triacetoxyborohydride. An alternative production method which removes the need to obtain the illegal compound mescaline as an isolated precursor can be achieved via a one-pot reaction utilizing 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetonitrile with Lithium Aluminium Hydride as a reducing agent.

History NBOMe-mescaline and NBOMe-escaline were first reported in 1999 resulting from research performed at Free University of Berlin concerning their activity as partial agonists at rat vascular 5-HT2A receptors. NBOMe-mescaline was first reported in September 2008 to have been self administered by humans as a psychedelic drug at some unspecified point prior. It first became available as a commodity in the research chemical market in May 2010 several months after a few 25x-NBOMes became available.

Society and culture

Legal status

International NBOMe-mescaline is not listed in the schedules set out by the United Nations' Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs from 1961 nor their Convention on Psychotropic Substances from 1971, so the signatory countries to these international drug control treaties are not required by said treaties to control NBOMe-mescaline.

Canada NBOMe-mescaline is not a controlled substance in Canada as of 2025.

United Kingdom This substance is a Class A drug in the United Kingdom as a result of the N-benzylphenethylamine catch-all clause in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

United States NBOMe-mescaline is not listed in the list of scheduled controlled substances in the USA. It is therefore not scheduled at the federal level in the United States, but it is possible that NBOMe-mescaline could legally be considered an analog of mescaline, and therefore sales or possession could potentially be prosecuted under the Federal Analogue Act.

See also Scaline N-Benzylphenethylamine NBOMe-escaline Mescaline-FLY 2,4,6-TMPEA-NBOMe DOM-NBOMe 5-APB-NBOMe 2C2-NBOMe

References

External links NBOMe-mescaline - Isomer Design The Big & Dandy NBOMe-Mescaline Thread - Bluelight Mescaline-NBOMe (also 345-NBOMe) - Erowid Experience Vaults

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NBOMe-mescaline

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NBOMe-mescaline claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NBOMe-mescaline before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NBOMe-mescaline ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NBOMe-mescaline

In research: NBOMe-mescaline appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NBOMe-mescaline in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NBOMe-mescaline is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 5-HT2A agonists, Daniel Trachsel, Drugs not assigned an ATC code, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NBOMe-mescaline outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NBOMe-mescaline in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NBOMe-mescaline means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NBOMe-mescaline out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NBOMe-mescaline in simple terms?

Why does NBOMe-mescaline matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NBOMe-mescaline?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NBOMe-mescaline.