4-Piperidone is a derivative of piperidine with the molecular formula C5H9NO. 4-Piperidone is used as an intermediate in the manufacture of chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs. It is a List I chemical in the United States.
DEA proposed control of 4-piperidone due to its use in clandestine laboratories to illicitly manufacture the schedule II controlled substance fentanyl. This rulemaking finalizes the control of 4- piperidone as a list I chemical. DATES: The rulemaking is effective on May 12, 2023.
Fentanyl is not a naturally occurring substance. As such, the manufacture of fentanyl requires it to be produced through synthetic organic chemistry. Synthetic organic chemistry is the process in which a new organic molecule is created through a series of chemical reactions, which involve precursor chemicals. Through chemical reactions, the chemical structures of precursor chemicals are modified in a desired fashion. These chemical reaction sequences, also known as synthetic pathways, are designed to create a desired substance. Several synthetic pathways to fentanyl have been identified in clandestine laboratory settings; these include the original ‘‘Janssen method,’’ the ‘‘Siegfried method,’’ and the ‘‘Gupta method.’’ In response to the illicit manufacture of fentanyl using these methods, DEA controlled N-phenethyl-4-piperidone (NPP),9N-(1-benzylpiperidin-4-yl)-N- phenylpropionamide (benzylfentanyl) and N-phenylpiperidin-4-amine (4- anilinopiperidine)10as list I chemicals, and 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (ANPP)11and N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-4- yl)propionamide (norfentanyl)12as schedule II immediate precursors under the CSA.