Deschloroketamine

2′-oxo-pcm (also known as deschloroketamine, o-pcm, dxe, and dck) is a lesser-known novel dissociative substance of the arylcyclohexylamine class that produces dissociative, anesthetic and hallucinogenic effects when administered.

early discussion over dck has revolved around speculation over claims of antibacterial or immunosuppressant properties. if this speculation is valid, it is possible that its prolonged use could potentially pose a serious threat to one’s health and immune system, which is why misuse of this substance is highly discouraged and caution to avoid treating it like its parent compound, ketamine, is advised.

dck has recently become easily accessible through online research chemical vendors where it is being sold as a designer drug.

very little data exists about the pharmacological properties, metabolism, and toxicity of dck, and it has a very brief history of human usage. it is strongly recommended that one use harm reduction practices if choosing to use this substance.

chemistry

deschloroketamine, or 2-phenyl-2-(methylamino)cyclohexanone, is classed as an arylcyclohexylamine drug. arylcyclohexylamine drugs are named for their structures which include a cyclohexane ring bound to an aromatic ring along with an amine group. descholoroketamine contains a phenyl ring bonded to a cyclohexane ring substituted with an oxo group (cyclohexanone). an amino methyl chain (-n-ch₃) is bound to the adjacent alpha carbon (r₂) of the cyclohexanone ring.

descholoroketamine is a chiral molecule and is often produced as a racemate. des- is a prefix used in chemistry to denote the absence of a functional group (in this case “chloro”) hence deschloroketamine is named for lacking a chlorine substitution on its phenyl ring, which is found in ketamine.

pharmacology

due to the lack of research regarding the substance, all discussion regarding the pharmacology of it is purely based on its structure and subjective effect similarities to other arylcyclohexylamine dissociatives such as 3-meo-pcp, pcp and mxe. with this in mind, dck is thought to act as an nmda receptor antagonist. nmda receptors, a type of glutamate receptor, allow for excitatory electrical signals to pass between neurons in the brain and spinal column; for the signals to pass, the receptor must be open. dissociatives inactivate the nmda receptors by blocking them. this disconnection of neurons leads to the general loss of bodily sensation, motor coordination, memory recall and eventually this substance’s equivalent of the “k-hole.”