​2-methyl AP-237 was originally synthesized and reported in Japan in the 1970s. Related analogs have been used for pain management internationally but never in the US. This compound has appeared on the dark web and illicit research chemical websites, and it has been identified by forensic chemists and toxicologists in seized samples and drug screens. The goal of this monograph is to identify the probable metabolites of this newly emerging synthetic opioid using human liver microsome (HLM) assays and computational simulations. By using high resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry, we aim to provide forensic toxicologists with the key mass spectrometry fragments and ions needed to identify the novel synthetic opioid, 2-methyl AP-237.

To cite this monograph: Hassanien, S.H., Layle, N.K., Holt, M.C., et al. 2-methyl AP-237. Cayman NPS Metabolism Monograph Issue 1 (2019).