BOx (psychedelics)

BOx, also known as β-oxygenated- and ring-substituted phenethylamines, are a group of psychedelic and other psychoactive drugs of the phenethylamine family. They have either a hydroxy group or methoxy group at the β position of the alkyl side chain as well as additional substitutions at the 2 through 5 positions of the phenyl ring.

Certain BOx drugs like BOB (β-methoxy-2C-B) have been found to act as serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor agonists.

The BOx drugs were described in the scientific literature by Alexander Shulgin, Peyton Jacob III, and Darrell Lemaire in 1985. They were subsequently further described by Shulgin in his 1991 book PiHKAL (Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved). Additional BOx drugs like BOH-2C-B (BOHB; β-hydroxy-2C-B) and 3C-BOH (β-methoxy-MDA; BOMDA) were later described by Daniel Trachsel in 2013. In addition, BOHB emerged as a novel designer drug.

On the basis of the preceding findings, of the BOx drugs, BOD is the only drug clearly known to produce psychedelic effects.

Other related compounds like βk-2C-B (β-keto-2C-B), β-methyl-2C-B (BMB), and β-methyl-DOM (Daphne, Elvira) have also been described.