Methylone
group of stereoisomers
Methylone, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylcathinone (MDMC), is an entactogen and stimulant drug of the amphetamine, cathinone, and MDxx families related to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy"). It is the β-keto or cathinone analogue of MDMA. The drug is usually taken orally, but can also be administered by other routes.
It acts as a serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine releasing agent (SNDRA). The drug has much less activity at the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) than MDMA and may have less serotonergic neurotoxicity. In contrast to certain other entactogens like MDMA, methylone does not appear to be a significant agonist of the serotonin 5-HT2 receptors. Methylone is similar in its effects to MDMA, producing entactogenic effects and euphoria, but has a reputation of being gentler than MDMA and only lasts about half as long. Side effects of methylone include tachycardia, hangover, and insomnia. It may have reduced negative after-effects compared to MDMA. Methylone's onset is about 0.5 hours and its duration is about 2 to 3 hours.
Methylone was first synthesized by Peyton Jacob III and Alexander Shulgin in the mid-1990s and was first described in the literature in 1996. It was patented by Jacob and Shulgin as a potential antidepressant and antiparkinsonian agent, but was never developed or marketed for such uses.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Methylone” is group of stereoisomers. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Methylone, group and stereoisomers, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “group of stereoisomers” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4046265. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1996.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Methylone”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Methylone primary sources, Methylone archive and Methylone research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Methylone”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Methylone” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.