Translational Chemistry – An Interface Journal

Synthetic Cathinones: Analytical Strategies, Pitfalls and Priorities for Forensic and Clinical Toxicology

Michele Protti — 2026-04-28

Synthetic cathinones are β-keto analogues within the broader class of β-phenethylamine amphetamine-type stimulants and represent a persistent analytical challenge due to their structural variability and rapid analogue turnover. Their frequent misrepresentation as other stimulants, together with the limited clinical and toxicological data available for many compounds, complicate both interpretation and risk assessment. This review examines the pharmaco-toxicological context of synthetic cathinones, with a primary focus on analytical strategies for their detection and interpretation in clinical and forensic settings. Methodological considerations are discussed across blood/plasma, urine, oral fluid and hair, highlighting the strengths and limitations of current screening, confirmatory and quantitative approaches. Attention is given to issues affecting analytical reliability, including compound instability, matrix effects, availability of reference materials and the impact of evolving sampling and microsampling formats on specimen handling. Emphasis is also placed on the interpretive integration of analytical data with patterns of use and potential co-exposures. Overall, this paper aims to bridge analytical methodology and translational application, supporting robust and adaptable testing practices in response to changing stimulant profiles.

Reactivity of palladacycles with phosphorus donor nucleophiles. The first crystal and molecular structure of a mixed-bridged acetate/phosphine dinuclear species.

Juan M. Ortigueira — 2026-05-07

Treatment of 2,4-(MeO)C₆H₃C(H)=N-[3,5-Cl₂C₆H₃] 1 with palladium (II) acetate in toluene at 60 °C under argon gave the dinuclear acetate-bridged palladacycle 2 as an air-stable solid. Reaction of 2 with the diphosphine Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂ (dppm) in 1:1 molar ratio and NH₄PF₆ yielded complex 3 where only one of the acetate ligands was exchanged by a diphosphine to give a mixed-bridged dinuclear palladacycle bearing charged and neutral linkers spanning between the metal centers, with the organic ligands in a cisfashion. The first crystal structure of one such complex, 3, is now reported herein. Complex 2 could be converted into the corresponding halide-bridged analogues by treatment in acetone with aqueous sodium chloride or sodium bromide to give the chloride-bridged 4, or bromide-bridged 5, compounds, respectively, as air-stable solids. The metallated moieties show a trans conformation of the Schiff base ligands, as opposed to the cis arrangement in 3. Treatment of 4 and 5 with the small bite diphosphine Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂ in 1:1 ratio gave the dinuclear compounds 6 and 7, likewise with two distinct bridging ligands; whereas the large bite diphosphine trans-Ph₂PCH=CHPPh₂ (trans-dppe) yielded 8 and 9 that are symmetric complexes across the C=C double bond as shown by the appearance of only one set of signals in the ¹H NMR spectrum, and by a singlet resonance in the ³¹P-{¹H} spectrum for the two equivalent phosphorus nuclei. Reaction of 4 and 5 with Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂, Ph₂P(CH₂)₂PPh₂ (dppe) cis-Ph₂PCH=CHPPh₂ (cis-dppe), Ph₂P(CH₂)₃PPh₂ (dppp) or Ph₂P(CH₂)₄PPh₂ (dppb), and with PPh₃ in the appropriate molar ratio gave the complexes 10-19 as mono- or dinuclear species. All the compounds in this report were adequately characterized by microanalytical and spectroscopic measurements; the crystal molecular structures of 2, 3, 9 and 12 are reported.

Editorial Board Translational Chemistry Journal 2026

Carlos Lodeiro — 2026-04-28

Translational Chemistry Editorial

Carlos Lodeiro — 2026-04-28