Methyl-TMA

Pharmaceutical compound From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Methyl-TMA, or N-methyl-TMA, also known as N-methyl-3,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine, is a psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine, amphetamine, and 3C families.^[1]^[2] It is the N-methyl derivative of 3,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine (TMA) as well as the α,N-dimethyl derivative of mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine).^[1]^[2]

Other namesMETHYL-TMA; N-Me-TMA; N-Methyl-TMA; α,N-Dimethylmescaline; N-Methyl-3,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine

Routes of
administrationOral^[1]

Drug classSerotonergic psychedelic; Hallucinogen

ATC code

None

Quick facts Clinical data, Other names ...

Methyl-TMA
Clinical data

Other names	METHYL-TMA; N-Me-TMA; N-Methyl-TMA; α,N-Dimethylmescaline; N-Methyl-3,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine
Routes of administration	Oral^[1]
Drug class	Serotonergic psychedelic; Hallucinogen
ATC code	None
Identifiers
IUPAC name N-methyl-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)propan-2-amine
CAS Number	93675-34-4
PubChem CID	24257271
ChemSpider	23900079
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C₁₃H₂₁NO₃
Molar mass	239.315 g·mol⁻¹
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
SMILES CC(CC1=CC(=C(C(=C1)OC)OC)OC)NC
InChI InChI=1S/C13H21NO3/c1-9(14-2)6-10-7-11(15-3)13(17-5)12(8-10)16-4/h7-9,14H,6H2,1-5H3 Key:XYKHBBWJSFSLRF-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Use and effects

N-Methylation of psychedelic phenethylamines has invariably greatly reduced or eliminated their hallucinogenic activity.^[3]^[1]^[4]^[5] Examples of this include related compounds like Beatrice (N-methyl-DOM) and methyl-DOB (N-methyl-DOB), which at assessed doses appear to be inactive as psychedelics in humans.^[6]^[1]^[4]^[5] According to Alexander Shulgin in his book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved) however, methyl-TMA showed "some mental disturbances" at the highest assessed dose of 240 mg orally.^[1] For comparison, the active dose range of TMA is 100 to 250 mg orally.^[1]

Interactions

History

Methyl-TMA was first described in the scientific literature by at least 1984.^[2]^[7] It was subsequently described further by Shulgin in PiHKAL in 1991.^[1]

Society and culture

Legal status

Canada

Methyl-TMA is a controlled substance in Canada under phenethylamine blanket-ban language.^[8]

References

[1]
Shulgin A, Shulgin A (September 1991). PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story. Berkeley, California: Transform Press. ISBN 0-9630096-0-5. OCLC 25627628. "Three additional N-methylated homologues of known psychedelics warrant mention, but do not really deserve separate recipes. This is because they have had only the most cursory assaying, which I have learned about by personal correspondence. [...] METHYL-TMA [...] had been run up in several trials to a maximum of 240 [mg], with some mental disturbances mentioned only at this highest level. METHYL-TMA-2 [...] had been tried at up to 120 [mg] without any effects. METHYL-TMA-6 [...] had been tried at up to 30 [mg] and it, too, was apparently without effects. These are reports that I have heard from others, but I have had no personal experience with them. Those that I can describe from personal experience are entered separately as recipes of their own. And there are many, many other N-methyl homologues which have been prepared and characterized in the literature, and have yet to be tasted. So far, however, the only consistent thing seen is that, with N-methylation, the potency of the psychedelics is decreased, but the potency of the stimulants appears to be pretty much maintained."
[2]
Shulgin A, Manning T, Daley P (2011). The Shulgin Index, Volume One: Psychedelic Phenethylamines and Related Compounds. Vol. 1. Berkeley: Transform Press. pp. 288, 350, 383, 408. ISBN 978-0-9630096-3-0.
[3]
Nichols DE (2018). Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationships of Psychedelics. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. Vol. 36. pp. 1–43. doi:10.1007/7854_2017_475. ISBN 978-3-662-55878-2. PMID 28401524. Although the most active tryptamine hallucinogens are N,N-dialkylated, the phenethylamines generally cannot tolerate even a single N-substitution. Even small groups such as methyl or ethyl (see Table 2) abolish their hallucinogenic activity.
[4]
Shulgin AT (1980). "Hallucinogens". In Burger A, Wolf ME (eds.). Burger's Medicinal Chemistry. Vol. 3 (4 ed.). New York: Wiley. pp. 1109–1137. ISBN 978-0-471-01572-7. OCLC 219960627. Of all the variously substituted phenylisopropylamines that have been N-methylated and titrated in man (including the homologs of TMA-2, 2,5-DMA, DOM, and DOB: 60.22b, 60.22i, 60.22aa, and 60.22ff, respectively), it is only the methylenedioxy compound 60.23a that has maintained quantitative potency (94). As with mescaline itself, dimethylation of this compound eliminates any central action.
[5]
Jacob P, Shulgin AT (1994). "Structure-Activity Relationships of the Classic Hallucinogens and Their Analogs". In Lin GC, Glennon RA (eds.). Hallucinogens: An Update (PDF). National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph Series. Vol. 146. National Institute on Drug Abuse. pp. 74–91. PMID 8742795. Archived from the original on 13 July 2025. [MDA] is also remarkable because the N-methyl homolog 3,4 (MDMA) has biological activity, although the nature of its action places it outside of this review. No other phenethylamine hallucinogen retains central activity on N-methylation.
[6]
Trachsel D, Lehmann D, Enzensperger C (2013). Phenethylamine: von der Struktur zur Funktion [Phenethylamines: From Structure to Function]. Nachtschatten-Science (in German) (1 ed.). Solothurn: Nachtschatten-Verlag. pp. 834–835, 878. ISBN 978-3-03788-700-4. OCLC 858805226. 8.5.26. N-Substitution von 2,4,5-trisubstituierten Phenylalkylaminen: Einerseits wurde der Einfluss von N-Alkyl-, andererseits derjenige von N-Heterogruppen-Substituenten geprüft. Allgemein ist bekannt, dass das Einführen von Alkylsubstituenten am Stickstoff von psychedelischen Phenylalkylaminen eine Abnahme der HT2-Rezeptoraffinitäten zur Folge hat [29, 150, 151]. Die Wirkungsabschwächung konnte mit den potenten Substanzen DOB (2) und DOM (8) im Menschen bestätigt werden [8]: N-Methyl-DOM (316; BEATRICE) und METHYL-DOB (317) erwiesen sich im Vergleich zu den beiden unmethylierten Verbindungen als massiv weniger aktiv; die aktive Dosis wurde dabei noch nicht eruiert. METHYL-DOET (318; DOETM) erwies sich bei einer Dosierung von 18mg bereits als deutlich aktiv [140]; die Wirkungen wurden im Vergleich zu DOET (14) als ruhiger und angenehmer beschrieben. [...] 318; METHYL-DOET, 18mg, 8-10h. [...] [140] P. Rausch. Persönliche Mitteilung, 2009.
[7]
Clark C (1 October 1984). "The Identification of Methoxy-N-Methylamphetamines". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 29 (4): 1056–1071. doi:10.1520/JFS11772J. ISSN 0022-1198.
[8]
"Controlled Drugs and Substances Act". Department of Justice Canada. Retrieved 19 January 2026.