New “party pill” components in New Zealand: The synthesis and analysis of some β-ketone analogues of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) including βk-DMBDB (β-ketone-N,N-dimethyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine)

In 2008, the New Zealand Government passed an amendment to reschedule what were, at the time, the active ingredients of ‘party pills’ in New Zealand. Since then, submissions of tablets and powders to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) Limited have included ingredients not previously seen among drug seizures in New Zealand. These new components, confirmed by the synthesis of standards, included some beta-ketone (βk) analogues of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA). Though not yet seen in tablet or powder seizures, the synthesis and the analytical data for βk-DMBDB ((beta-ketone)-N,N-dimethyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine) are reported here for the first time.