Ritalinic acid is a

substituted phenethylamine Substituted phenethylamines (or simply phenethylamines) are a chemical class of organic compounds that are based upon the phenethylamine structure; the class is composed of all the derivative (chemistry), derivative compounds of phenethylamine ...

and an inactive major

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

of the psychostimulant drugs

methylphenidate Methylphenidate, sold under the brand names Ritalin ( ) and Concerta ( ) among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It may be taken Oral adm ...

dexmethylphenidate Dexmethylphenidate, sold under the brand name Focalin among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in those over the age of five years. It is taken by mouth. ...

and ethylphenidate. When administered orally, methylphenidate is extensively metabolized in the liver by hydrolysis of the ester group yielding ritalinic acid. The hydrolysis was found to be catalyzed by

carboxylesterase 1 Liver carboxylesterase 1 also known as carboxylesterase 1 (CES1, hCE-1 or CES1A1) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''CES1'' gene. The protein is also historically known as serine esterase 1 (SES1), monocyte esterase and cholesterol es ...

(CES1). Etymologically, ritalinic acid shares its roots with ''Ritalin'', a common brand name for methylphenidate.

Uses

Ritalinic acid is used as an intermediate in the synthesis of methylphenidate and its analogues, such as ethylphenidate and isopropylphenidate.

References

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External links

Ritalinic acid
on

PubChem PubChem is a database of Chemistry, chemical molecules and their activities against biological assays. The system is maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), a component of the National Library of Medicine, which ...

2-Benzylpiperidines Beta-Amino acids Methylphenidate 2-Piperidinyl compounds