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Synthetic

BB-22

A quinolinyl indole-3-carboxylate ester identified in Japan in 2013, a potent CB1 agonist, classified as a narcotic in France.

Narcotic: named in schedule
Level of detail

Harm-reduction warning

No characterised human dose: animal / in vitro data only. Effect profile, safety margin and acute toxicity are not documented in human clinical practice. Extremely potent compound: severe effects, seizures and deaths reported in the literature.

C₂₅H₂₄N₂O₂

CAS 1400742-42-8

Family
Synthetic CB receptor agonistNew psychoactive substance
Molar mass
384.50 g/mol

Updated on

In plain terms

BB-22 is a synthetic cannabinoid made in a laboratory, first described in 2013 in illicit material. It does not exist in hemp and has nothing to do with cannabidiol. It binds to the cannabinoid receptors with a measured affinity among the strongest of its series (Ki below 0.4 nM), and it is classified as a narcotic in France.

Receptors and activity

Target network

CB1AgonistKi = 0.2 nM · humancompetitive [3H]CP55,940 binding, CHO cell membranes
  • Activates

The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to BB-22: one ring per factor of 100. A target with no measured value stays on the edge.

Where these targets live

Where each target has been found in humans, according to the cited studies. The map shows the target, not an effect of BB-22.

Brain, side view
Body, front view
Blood

CB1CB1 found in 7 regions of the body

  1. Basal gangliadenseMost dense in basal ganglia outflow nuclei1
  2. CerebellumdenseVery dense in the cerebellum1
  3. HippocampusdenseVery high concentrations in the hippocampus2
  4. AmygdaladenseHigh concentrations in the amygdala2
  5. CortexpresentPresent throughout the neocortex2
  6. Adipose tissuepresentExpressed in adipose tissue3
  7. GutpresentColonic epithelium, smooth muscle and plexus4

Map sources

  1. Herkenham M et al. Cannabinoid receptor localization in brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1990 (new tab)
  2. Glass M et al. Cannabinoid receptors in the human brain: a detailed anatomical and quantitative autoradiographic study in the fetal, neonatal and adult human brain. Neuroscience, 1997 (new tab)
  3. Engeli S et al. Activation of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity. Diabetes, 2005 (new tab)
  4. Wright K et al. Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing. Gastroenterology, 2005 (new tab)

Cited values

  1. CB1AgonistKi = 0.2 nM · human94 out of 100

    Hess et al. 2016, Forensic Toxicol (new tab) · competitive [3H]CP55,940 binding, CHO cell membranes

  2. CB2AgonistKi = 0.3 nM · human91 out of 100

    Hess et al. 2016, Forensic Toxicol (new tab) · competitive [3H]CP55,940 binding, CHO cell membranes

Bar length follows the measured value (Ki, Kd, EC50 or IC50), on one scale shared by every entry, from 100 µM to 0.1 nM. A target with no cited value has no bar.

Pharmacology

BB-22 (QUCHIC) is a quinolin-8-yl indole-3-carboxylate with a cyclohexylmethyl chain. Uchiyama et al. described it in 2013 together with PB-22 (QUPIC) as two quinolinyl carboxylates of a new type, identified in illegal products. The ester link between carbon 3 of the indole and the quinolin-8-yl group replaces the ketone of the naphthoylindoles; BB-22 differs from PB-22 only by a cyclohexylmethyl group in place of the pentyl chain on the nitrogen. Hess et al. (2016) make it the most potent of the ligands compared: Ki = 0.217 nM at CB1 and 0.338 nM at CB2, with an efficacy higher than that of CP55,940 in a cAMP assay. In human hepatocytes, Carlier, Diao and Huestis (2018) identified ten metabolites; the main biotransformation is loss of the quinolinyl chain by ester hydrolysis, and the authors recommend as targets BB-22 3-carboxyindole and two isomers hydroxylated on the cyclohexylmethyl group. The first is not specific: it had already been detected as a minor metabolite of MDMB-CHMICA and ADB-CHMICA, whose consumption must be ruled out before concluding. No controlled study in human beings was found.

Key sources.

History

Source
A wholly synthetic molecule, absent from hemp and from every living organism. It was first described in illicit material in Japan in 2013 (Uchiyama et al. 2013, as reported by Hess et al. 2016). None of this has anything to do with hemp or with cannabidiol products.

Origin

Laboratory synthesis

No known biosynthetic pathway: the molecule is produced by no plant and no living organism. It is entirely synthetic in origin and belongs to the chemical family of the quinolin-8-yl indole-3-carboxylates.

Classification

Family, origin and source verification

Family

Synthetic CB receptor agonist › New psychoactive substance

Class

indole-3-carboxylate

Verification

Classification, sources and binding values checked on 20 October 2026; text read against its sources and Wikipedia.

Wikipedia (English)

QUCHMIC (new tab)

Article paired by the molecule's structure (InChIKey), revision read on 19 October 2026. Read as a second opinion, never cited as a source.

References

  1. Carlier J, Diao X, Huestis MA. Synthetic cannabinoid BB-22 (QUCHIC): Human hepatocytes metabolism with liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry detection. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2018;157:27-35 (new tab)PMID 29754040
  2. Uchiyama N, Matsuda S, Kawamura M, Kikura-Hanajiri R, Goda Y. Two new-type cannabimimetic quinolinyl carboxylates, QUPIC and QUCHIC, two new cannabimimetic carboxamide derivatives, ADB-FUBINACA and ADBICA, and five synthetic cannabinoids detected with a thiophene derivative α-PVT and an opioid receptor agonist AH-7921 identified in illegal products. Forensic Toxicol. 2013;31(2):223-240 (new tab)DOI 10.1007/s11419-013-0182-9
  3. Hess C, Schoeder CT, Pillaiyar T, Madea B, Müller CE. Pharmacological evaluation of synthetic cannabinoids identified as constituents of spice. Forensic Toxicol. 2016;34:329-343 (new tab)PMID 27429655
  4. Takeda A, Doi T, Asada A et al. The biological effects and thermal degradation of NPB-22, a synthetic cannabinoid. Forensic Toxicol. 2024;42(2):142-151 (indazole analogue: thermal degradation of the ester, products with no CB1 or CB2 activity) (new tab)PMID 38294576
  5. Council Framework Decision 2004/757/JHA, consolidated version of 12.01.2026 (annex: substances subject to Union control) (new tab)

Identifiers

Names

IUPAC name
quinolin-8-yl 1-(cyclohexylmethyl)indole-3-carboxylate
Other names
QUCHIC · QUCHMIC

Identifiers

Formula
C₂₅H₂₄N₂O₂
CAS
1400742-42-8
PubChem CID
71711120(new tab)
InChIKey
RHYGTJXOHOGQGI-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES
C1CCC(CC1)CN2C=C(C3=CC=CC=C32)C(=O)OC4=CC=CC5=C4N=CC=C5

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.