science

TOMSO

TOMSO 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 TOMSO rather than just read about it. In short: TOMSO, or 5-TOMSO, also known as 2-methoxy-4-methyl-5-methylsulfinylamphetamine, is a psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine families related to the DOx series. It is the analogue of DOM in which the methoxy group at the 5 position has been replaced with a sulfur-containing methylsulfinyl group.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

TOMSO, or 5-TOMSO, also known as 2-methoxy-4-methyl-5-methylsulfinylamphetamine, is a psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine families related to the DOx series. It is the analogue of DOM in which the methoxy group at the 5 position has been replaced with a sulfur-containing methylsulfinyl group. In his book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved), Alexander Shulgin lists TOMSO's dose as >150 mg orally alone or 100 to 150 mg orally in combination with alcohol and its duration as 10 to 16 hours. TOMSO was reported to produce no or only threshold effects by itself at the assessed doses, but when alcohol was concomitantly ingested, clear hallucinogenic effects occurred. These effects included facial distortion and remarkable time dilation, among others. When combined with alcohol, "plus-two" and "plus-three" experiences occurred on the Shulgin Rating Scale. The chemical synthesis of TOMSO has been described. TOMSO was first described in the scientific literature by Alexander Shulgin and Peyton Jacob III in 1983. Subsequently, it was described in greater detail by Shulgin in PiHKAL in 1991.

See also Substituted methoxyphenethylamine 2-TOM, 5-TOM, and Bis-TOM

References

External links TOMSO - Isomer Design TOMSO - PiHKAL - Erowid TOMSO - PiHKAL - Isomer Design

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TOMSO

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TOMSO 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 TOMSO 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 TOMSO 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 TOMSO

In research: TOMSO 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 TOMSO 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: TOMSO is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Drugs not assigned an ATC code, Methoxyphenethylamines, Phenol ethers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for TOMSO 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 TOMSO in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what TOMSO 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 TOMSO out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is TOMSO in simple terms?

Why does TOMSO 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 TOMSO?

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 TOMSO.