List of psychedelic chemists
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This is a list of psychedelic chemists, or of chemists who first identified, isolated, and/or synthesized specific psychedelic drugs or otherwise contributed to psychedelic chemistry:[1]
- Albert Hofmann – discovered LSD, isolated psilocybin from psilocybin-containing mushrooms and ergine from morning glory, developed numerous lysergamides and some psilocybin analogues
- Alexander Shulgin – developed numerous psychedelic phenethylamines and tryptamines[2][3]
- Arthur Heffter – isolated mescaline from peyote
- Charles D. Nichols – developed certain medically intended psychedelics such as 2C-iBu
- Daniel Trachsel – developed numerous psychedelic phenethylamines[4][5][6]
- Darrell Lemaire – studied 2C-D as a "smart drug" and developed the TWEETIO psychedelics[7][8][9][10]
- David E. Nichols – developed numerous psychedelic phenethylamines, tryptamines, and lysergamides
- David E. Olson – founder of Delix Therapeutics, developed various psychedelic-related drugs such as tabernanthalog, zalsupindole, and JRT
- David Repke – developed numerous psychedelic tryptamines[11]
- Gordon Alles – discovered the effects of MDA, the first synthetic psychedelic, and other work
- Hamilton Morris – developed various psychedelics[12]
- Jason Wallach – developed various psychedelics[12]
- J. Andrew Jones – developed biosynthetic methods from the production of various tryptamine psychedelics[13][14][15]
- Lizard Labs (Alexander Stratford) – developed numerous LSD prodrugs such as 1P-LSD and 1V-LSD
- Louis Lewin – attempted to isolate mescaline from peyote
- M. Mueller – described the properties and effects of 2C-EF and 2C-iBu in humans and disclosed them via Alexander Shulgin[16]
- Matthew J. Baggott – founder of Tactogen, developed novel entactogens and psychedelics
- Otakar Leminger – developed escaline, proscaline, allylescaline, and MEPEA among others[2][17][18][19]
- P. Rausch – developed various psychedelic phenethylamines and disclosed many of them via Daniel Trachsel[4][5][20]
- Peyton Jacob III – worked with Alexander Shulgin developing psychedelics
- Richard Glennon – developed numerous psychedelic phenethylamines and tryptamines
- Richard Manske – synthesized DMT and identified and synthesized harmine and harmaline[21][22][23][24]
- Robert Oberlender – a student in the lab of David E. Nichols who developed and studied various psychedelics and entactogens
- Stephen Szára – discovered the effects of DMT, developed various psychedelic DMT analogues
- William Leonard Pickard – manufactured LSD and tested other psychedelics like 5-fluoro-AMT, 6-fluoro-AMT, and likely LSZ
See also
References
- ^ Walker, Scott R.; Pullella, Glenn A.; Piggott, Matthew J.; Duggan, Peter J. (5 July 2023). "Introduction to the chemistry and pharmacology of psychedelic drugs". Australian Journal of Chemistry. 76 (5): 236–257. doi:10.1071/CH23050. ISSN 0004-9425. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ a b Shulgin, Alexander; Shulgin, Ann (September 1991). PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story. Berkeley, California: Transform Press. ISBN 0-9630096-0-5. OCLC 25627628.
- ^ Shulgin, Alexander; Shulgin, Ann (September 1997). TiHKAL: The Continuation. Berkeley, California: Transform Press. ISBN 0-9630096-9-9. OCLC 38503252.
- ^ a b Trachsel D (2012). "Fluorine in psychedelic phenethylamines". Drug Test Anal. 4 (7–8): 577–590. doi:10.1002/dta.413. PMID 22374819.
- ^ a b 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. ISBN 978-3-03788-700-4. OCLC 858805226. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025.
- ^ Kolaczynska KE, Luethi D, Trachsel D, Hoener MC, Liechti ME (2021). "Receptor Interaction Profiles of 4-Alkoxy-3,5-Dimethoxy-Phenethylamines (Mescaline Derivatives) and Related Amphetamines" (PDF). Front Pharmacol. 12 794254. doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.794254. PMC 8865417. PMID 35222010.
- ^ "Erowid Darrell Lemaire Vault". erowid.org. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ^ Morris H (7 December 2016). "The Lazy Lizard School of Hedonism". Hamilton's Pharmacopeia. Season 1. Episode 6. Vice Media. Viceland.
- ^ Hosteen Nez (Darrell Lemaire) (2010). "Notes About Psychoactive Compounds" (PDF). In Targ, Russell; Radin, Dean (eds.). Radiant Minds: Scientists Explore the Dimensions of Consciousness. Millay. pp. 201–207. ISBN 978-0-615-29633-3.
- ^ Lazar (Darrell Lemaire); Hosteen Nez (1990), Certain Exotic Transmitters as Smart Pills or Compounds that Increase the Capacity for Mental Work in Humans: A Story About LAZAR as Told by Hosteen Nez (2 ed.), archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2001
- ^ Klein AK, Chatha M, Laskowski LJ, Anderson EI, Brandt SD, Chapman SJ, McCorvy JD, Halberstadt AL (April 2021). "Investigation of the Structure-Activity Relationships of Psilocybin Analogues". ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. 4 (2): 533–542. doi:10.1021/acsptsci.0c00176. PMC 8033608. PMID 33860183.
Repke synthesized several other psilocin homologues, including 4-hydroxy-N-methyl-N-ethyltryptamine (4-HO-MET), 4-hydroxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine (4-HO-MIPT), 4-hydroxy-N,N-dipropyltryptamine (4-HO-DPT), and 4-hydroxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (4-HO-DIPT).63,64
- ^ a b Wallach J, Cao AB, Calkins MM, Heim AJ, Lanham JK, Bonniwell EM, Hennessey JJ, Bock HA, Anderson EI, Sherwood AM, Morris H, de Klein R, Klein AK, Cuccurazzu B, Gamrat J, Fannana T, Zauhar R, Halberstadt AL, McCorvy JD (December 2023). "Identification of 5-HT2A receptor signaling pathways associated with psychedelic potential". Nat Commun. 14 (1): 8221. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44016-1. PMC 10724237. PMID 38102107.
- ^ Adams, Alexandra M.; Kaplan, Nicholas A.; Wei, Zhangyue; Brinton, John D.; Monnier, Chantal S.; Enacopol, Alexis L.; Ramelot, Theresa A.; Jones, J. Andrew (2019-12-01). "In vivo production of psilocybin in E. coli". Metabolic Engineering. 56: 111–119. doi:10.1016/j.ymben.2019.09.009. ISSN 1096-7176.
- ^ Friedberg, Lucas M.; Sen, Abhishek K.; Nguyen, Quynh; Tonucci, Gabriel P.; Hellwarth, Elle B.; Gibbons, William J.; Jones, J. Andrew (2023-07-01). ""In vivo biosynthesis of N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 5-MeO-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, and bufotenine in E. coli"". Metabolic Engineering. 78: 61–71. doi:10.1016/j.ymben.2023.05.006. ISSN 1096-7176.
- ^ Keller, Madeleine R.; McKinney, Madeline G.; Sen, Abhishek K.; Guagliardo, Felicia G.; Hellwarth, Elle B.; Islam, Khondokar Nowshin; Kaplan, Nicholas A.; Gibbons, William J.; Kemmerly, Grace E.; Meers, Chance; Wang, Xin; Jones, J. Andrew (2025-09-01). "Psilocybin biosynthesis enhancement through gene source optimization". Metabolic Engineering. 91: 119–129. doi:10.1016/j.ymben.2025.04.003. ISSN 1096-7176.
- ^ Shulgin, A.; Manning, T.; Daley, P.F. (2011). The Shulgin Index, Volume One: Psychedelic Phenethylamines and Related Compounds. Vol. 1. Berkeley: Transform Press. ISBN 978-0-9630096-3-0.
- ^ countyourculture (4 May 2012). "Leminger's Scalines". countyourculture.
- ^ Otakar Leminger (1972). "Příspěvek k chemii v jádře alkoxylovaných β-fenoetylaminů – I" [A Contribution to the chemistry of alkoxylated phenethylamines – part 1]. Chemický Průmysl. 22: 496–.
- ^ Otakar Leminger (1972). "Příspěvek k chemii v jádře alkoxylovaných β-fenoetylaminů – II: O některých v jádře alkoxylovaných β-fenoetylaminech, resp. jejich sulfátech" [A Contribution to the chemistry of alkoxylated phenethylamines – part 2: On some core-alkoxylated β-phenethylamines and their sulfates]. Chemický Průmysl. 22: 553–557. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026.
- ^ Rausch, P. (January 1995). Leuner, Hanscarl; Schlichting, Michael; European College for the Study of Consciousness (eds.). Jahrbuch des Europäischen Collegiums für Bewußtseinsstudien: 1995 [Yearbook of the European College for the Study of Consciousness: 1995] (in German and English). Vol. 4. Berlin: VWB. ISBN 978-3861354079. ISSN 0942-7600. OCLC 28636362.
- ^ Shulman, Elise (8 February 2021). "Richard Manske". Psychedelic Science Review. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ Barker SA (2018). "N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an Endogenous Hallucinogen: Past, Present, and Future Research to Determine Its Role and Function". Front Neurosci. 12: 536. doi:10.3389/fnins.2018.00536. PMC 6088236. PMID 30127713.
In terms of Western culture, DMT was first synthesized by a Canadian chemist, Richard Manske, in 1931 (Manske, 1931) but was, at the time, not assessed for human pharmacological effects. In 1946 the microbiologist Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima discovered DMT's natural occurrence in plants (Goncalves de Lima, 1946). DMT's hallucinogenic properties were not discovered until 1956 when Stephen Szara, a pioneering Hungarian chemist and psychiatrist, extracted DMT from the Mimosa hostilis plant and administered the extract to himself intramuscularly (Szára, 1956).
- ^ Manske, Richard H. F. (1 November 1931). "A SYNTHESIS OF THE METHYLTRYPTAMINES AND SOME DERIVATIVES". Canadian Journal of Research. 5 (5): 592–600. doi:10.1139/cjr31-097. ISSN 1923-4287. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ Manske, Richard Helmuth Fred; Perkin, William Henry; Robinson, Robert (1927). "I.—Harmine and harmaline. Part IX. A synthesis of harmaline". J. Chem. Soc. 0 (0): 1–14. doi:10.1039/JR9270000001. ISSN 0368-1769. Retrieved 9 March 2026.