Concise Large-Scale Synthesis of Psilocin and Psilocybin, Principal Hallucinogenic Constituents of “Magic Mushroom”
Journal of Natural Products – May 30, 2003
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
A significant advance in chemistry now enables the efficient, large-scale production of pure psilocybin, the potent hallucinogen from "magic mushrooms." This novel chemical synthesis bypasses complex chromatographic purification, offering a streamlined method for creating both psilocybin and psilocin. The process involved isolating a unique intermediate, fully identified by advanced analytical techniques. This breakthrough in Psychedelics and Drug Studies provides standardized alkaloid compounds, crucial for Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis, ensuring consistent purity for research.
Abstract
The concise large-scale syntheses of psilocin (1) and psilocybin (2), the principal hallucinogenic constituents of "magic mushroom", were achieved without chromatographic purification. The key step in the synthesis of 2 was the isolation of the dibenzyl-protected intermediate (7) as a zwitterionic derivative (8), which was completely identified by means of 2D NMR analyses.