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Cocaine Molecular Structure

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Unraveling the Molecular Structure of Cocaine: A Journey into its Chemistry



Cocaine, a potent stimulant with a long history of both recreational use and medical application (now largely discontinued due to its addictive nature), holds a fascinating place in the world of chemistry. This article delves into the detailed molecular structure of cocaine, exploring its key components, their arrangement, and how this structure contributes to its pharmacological properties. Understanding this structure is crucial to appreciating its addictive potential and the challenges in developing effective treatment strategies.

1. The Basic Structure: A Fusion of Rings and Functional Groups



Cocaine's molecular formula is C<sub>17</sub>H<sub>21</sub>NO<sub>4</sub>. This formula reveals the presence of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) atoms, forming a relatively complex molecule. At its core, cocaine is built upon a bicyclic structure, meaning it comprises two fused rings: a tropane ring and a benzoyl group.

The Tropane Ring: This eight-membered ring contains a nitrogen atom, responsible for many of the molecule's properties. It is a saturated ring, meaning it contains only single bonds between its carbon atoms, making it relatively stable. The nitrogen atom within this ring can act as a base, accepting a proton (H<sup>+</sup>). This ability to accept a proton is crucial to its interaction with receptors in the brain.

The Benzoyl Group: This aromatic group, consisting of a benzene ring with a carbonyl group (C=O) attached, is directly bonded to the tropane ring. The presence of the benzene ring contributes to the molecule's lipophilicity (fat solubility), allowing it to readily cross the blood-brain barrier. The carbonyl group, a characteristic of ketones and esters, is essential for its interaction with enzymes in the body. The ester linkage connecting the benzoyl group to the tropane ring is particularly vulnerable to hydrolysis, a process which can be exploited in cocaine metabolism and detoxification.

2. Stereochemistry: The Importance of Chirality



Cocaine exists as two enantiomers (mirror image isomers), which are designated as (+) cocaine and (-) cocaine. Enantiomers have identical chemical formulas but differ in their three-dimensional arrangement of atoms. This difference in spatial arrangement has significant implications for biological activity.

While both enantiomers interact with the same receptors, (+) cocaine is substantially more potent as a stimulant and local anesthetic compared to (-) cocaine. This difference highlights the critical role of stereochemistry in drug activity and highlights the precision needed in drug design.

3. Functional Groups and Biological Activity



The specific arrangement and types of functional groups in cocaine contribute to its diverse physiological effects.

Ester Functional Group: The ester linkage connecting the benzoyl group and the tropane ring is easily hydrolyzed by enzymes in the body. This hydrolysis is a crucial step in cocaine's metabolism, leading to the formation of inactive metabolites.

Aromatic Benzoyl Group: The presence of the benzene ring makes cocaine lipophilic, enabling its efficient passage across the blood-brain barrier. This is essential for its central nervous system effects.

Tertiary Amine Group: The nitrogen atom in the tropane ring acts as a base, influencing the molecule's ability to interact with and modulate various neurotransmitter systems in the brain, particularly the dopamine transporter. This interaction is the primary mechanism behind cocaine's addictive properties.

4. Implications for Drug Development and Treatment



A detailed understanding of cocaine's molecular structure is essential for:

Developing new treatments: Researchers can design drugs that block cocaine's interaction with dopamine transporters or target enzymes involved in its metabolism.

Improving analytical techniques: Knowledge of the structure aids in developing more accurate and sensitive methods for cocaine detection in forensic science and clinical settings.

Understanding toxicity: The structure informs studies on cocaine's toxic effects and potential interactions with other drugs.


Conclusion



Cocaine's relatively complex molecular structure, with its interplay of rings, functional groups, and stereochemistry, is directly responsible for its potent physiological effects, including its addictive properties. Understanding this structure is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies and for furthering our knowledge of its interaction with the human body.


FAQs:



1. Is cocaine naturally occurring? Yes, cocaine is derived from the coca plant ( Erythroxylum coca).

2. How is cocaine metabolized? Primarily through hydrolysis of the ester bond, producing ecgonine methyl ester and benzoic acid.

3. What receptors does cocaine primarily interact with? Cocaine primarily interacts with dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine transporters, inhibiting their function.

4. What makes cocaine addictive? Its ability to rapidly increase dopamine levels in the reward pathway of the brain, leading to intense feelings of pleasure and reinforcement of drug-seeking behavior.

5. Are there any safe forms of cocaine use? No, there are no safe forms of cocaine use. It is highly addictive and carries significant risks to physical and mental health.

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Cocaine: An Updated Overview on Chemistry, Detection 13 Apr 2022 · This review provides a brief overview of cocaine's prevalence and patterns of use, its physical-chemical properties and methods for analysis, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and multi-level toxicity. Keywords: cocaine hydrochloride; crack; drug abuse; drug analysis; pharmacodynamics; pharmacokinetics; sympathomimetics; toxicity.

Cocaine - 药物在线 Molecular Weight: 339.81 Percent Composition: C 60.09%, H 6.53%, N 4.12%, O 18.83%, Cl 10.43% Properties: Crystals, granules, or powder; saline, slightly bitter taste; numbs tongue and lips.

Cocaine - NIST Chemistry WebBook 7 May 2011 · Chemical structure: This structure is also available as a 2d Mol file; Stereoisomers: Pseudococaine; Allococaine

Cocaine and morphine induce shared and divergent … 5 Apr 2025 · Cocaine and morphine, though both capable of inducing addiction-related behavioral abnormalities, drive distinct functional and molecular responses in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) [9,10,11] – a ...

Cocaine base | C17H21NO4 | CID 44246523 - PubChem (+)-Cocaine base | C17H21NO4 | CID 44246523 - structure, chemical names, physical and chemical properties, classification, patents, literature, biological activities, safety/hazards/toxicity information, supplier lists, and more.

Cocaine: An Updated Overview on Chemistry, Detection, … It is a naturally occurring sympathomimetic tropane alkaloid derived from the leaves of Erythroxylon coca, which has been used by South American locals for millennia. Cocaine can usually be found in two forms, cocaine hydrochloride, a white …

Cocaine | C17H21NO4 - ChemSpider Molecular formula: C 17 H 21 N O 4: Average mass: 303.358: Monoisotopic mass: 303.147058: ChemSpider ID: 10194104

The crystal structure of free base cocaine, C17H21NO4 We determined the crystal structure of (-)-cocaine as its free base in order to compare it to that of these salts. The absolute configuration of (-)-cocaine is known to be (-)-2R-methoxycarbonyl-3s-benzoxytropane (3). The identification of (-)-cocaine is important in forensic science because it is a drug of abuse.

Cocaine | C17H21NO4 | CID 446220 - PubChem Cocaine | C17H21NO4 | CID 446220 - structure, chemical names, physical and chemical properties, classification, patents, literature, biological activities, safety/hazards/toxicity information, supplier lists, and more.

A study of the molecular structure of cocaine using molecular … 1 Apr 1989 · A complete conformational analysis of the cocaine molecule has been carried out using molecular mechanics (MM2P). The results agree with those found for the structure of cocaine hydrochloride in solution ( 1 H-NMR spectrum) and for the solid in a previous X-ray diffraction study.

Chemical structures of cocaine (free base form) and cocaine ... Cocaine (COC) is a psychostimulant drug that acts as a competitive inhibitor of selective monoamine membrane transporters, including dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT ...

Cocaine C₁₇H₂₁NO₄ - Chemical Compound Info Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and stimulant drug with a chemical formula of C₁₇H₂₁NO₄.

The crystal structure of free base cocaine, C17H21NO4 The crystal structure of free base cocaine has been determined in order to compare the conformation with that observed in its salts, and to clarify the powder pattern of the pure compound.

On the atomic structure of cocaine in solution - PubMed 14 Jan 2016 · Specifically, the carbonyl oxygens and amine group on cocaine, on average, form ∼5 bonds with the water molecules in the surrounding solvent, and the top 30% of water molecules within 4 Å of cocaine are localized in the cavity formed by an internal hydrogen bond within the cocaine molecule.

What Is Cocaine Made Of? - ReAgent Chemical Services 12 Feb 2020 · The molecular structure of cocaine makes it a weak base because of its polar bonds. It is a complex molecule that contains both polar and non-polar bonds. The benzene part is non-polar but the amine and ester parts are polar.

Structural formula of the cocaine molecule. - ResearchGate We investigate the rich stereochemistry of cocaine and its diastereoisomers from a theoretical perspective using density functional theory. The relative stability of the eight considered isomers...

Cocaine (1+) | C17H22NO4+ | CID 21635054 - PubChem Cocaine(1+) is the conjugate base of cocaine arising from protonation of the tertiary amino group; major species at pH 7.3. It has a role as a human metabolite. It is a tropane alkaloid and an ammonium ion derivative. It is a conjugate acid of a cocaine.

(+)Cocaine | C17H21NO4 | CID 644017 - PubChem (+)Cocaine | C17H21NO4 | CID 644017 - structure, chemical names, physical and chemical properties, classification, patents, literature, biological activities, safety/hazards/toxicity information, supplier lists, and more.

On the atomic structure of cocaine in solution Specifically, the carbonyl oxygens and amine group on cocaine, on average, form ∼5 bonds with the water molecules in the surrounding solvent, and the top 30% of water molecules within 4 Å of cocaine are localized in the cavity formed by an internal hydrogen bond …

Cocaine: Understanding its Structure and Synthesis - Prezi 9 Apr 2025 · Introduction to Cocaine Synthetic Routes to Cocaine Chemical Structure of Cocaine What is Cocaine? Historical Synthesis in 1909 Unique Structural Features Cocaine: AKA: 3β-hydroxy-1αH,5α-H-tropane-2β-carboxylic acid methyl ester benzoate Modern 9-Step Synthesis Chemical Formula:

Cocaine - Wikipedia The first synthesis and elucidation of the structure of the cocaine molecule was by Richard Willstätter in 1898. [144] It was the first biomimetic synthesis of an organic structure recorded in academic chemical literature.