2C-tBu, or 2C-t-Bu, also known as 4-tert-butyl-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine, is a serotonin receptor agonist and putative serotonergic psychedelic of the phenethylamine and 2C families.
The active dose of 2C-tBu in humans is >5mg orally per Daniel Trachsel and its duration is unknown. Initial tests with 7mg and with 10mg (as 5mg plus 5mg 2hours apart) orally produced no psychedelic effects in humans, but instead induced a pronounced and long-lasting tiredness. It was hypothesized by Daniel Trachsel and colleagues that 2C-tBu might be a serotonin 5-HT<sub>2A</sub> receptor antagonist and might thereby be hypnotic, but it was instead shown to be an agonist in subsequent studies.
2C-tBu is a potent serotonin 5-HT<sub>2A</sub> receptor agonist (K<sub>i</sub> = 9.9âÂÂ35nM, = 4.2nM) and also binds to the serotonin 5-HT<sub>2C</sub> receptor (K<sub>i</sub> = 7âÂÂ24nM). The drug produces a robust head-twitch response, a behavioral proxy of psychedelic effects, in rodents. It also produces hyperlocomotion in rodents.
Analogues of 2C-tBu include 2C-Bu, 2C-iBu, 2C-sBu, and DOTB, among others.
2C-tBu was first described in the scientific literature by Daniel Trachsel and colleagues in 2013.
2C-tBu is a controlled substance in Canada under phenethylamine blanket-ban language.