JWH-011
Naphthoylindole of the JWH series, a cannabinoid receptor ligand, covered by the generic narcotics clause in France.
C₂₇H₂₉NO
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.
Data sheet
Names
- IUPAC name
- (1-heptan-2-yl-2-methylindol-3-yl)-naphthalen-1-ylmethanone
- Other names
- JWH 011
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₇H₂₉NO
- Molar mass
- 383.50 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 44368442(new tab)
- InChIKey
- HVIWIQFCDXFBDK-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Class
- Family
- Synthetic cannabinoid (SCRA)
Updated on
Receptors and activity
- Récepteur cannabinoïde (sous-type non précisé)AgonistKi 33,0 nM (Huffman et coll., 1994)75 out of 100
Subjective signature
- Calm
- 5 out of 100
- Relaxation of body and mind; reduced mental noise without marked drowsiness.
- Clarity
- 5 out of 100
- Sustained attention and clear thinking; functional lucidity, not euphoria.
- High
- 5 out of 100
- Euphoria and sensory intensity; altered perception of time and space.
- Appetite
- 5 out of 100
- Stimulation of hunger and of taste appreciation (the “munchies” effect).
- Sleep
- 5 out of 100
- Sedative effect: aids sleep onset and the continuity of deep sleep.
Pharmacology
JWH-011 is a naphthoylindole of the JWH series, described in 1994 by Huffman and his collaborators in a paper on the design, synthesis and pharmacology of cannabimimetic indoles. It carries a methyl group at position 2 of the indole and a branched heptan-2-yl chain on the nitrogen. A Ki of 33.0 nM is reported for it, along with an ED50 of 35.6 µmol/kg in a cannabimimetic test in mice. No human or pharmacokinetic data were found in the sources consulted, and in France the molecule falls under the generic definition of narcotics.
Key sources.
- Huffman JW et coll., Design, synthesis and pharmacology of cannabimimetic indoles, Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 1994 (new tab)DOI 10.1016/S0960-894X(01)80155-4
- Aung MM et coll., Influence of the N-1 alkyl chain length of cannabimimetic indoles upon CB1 and CB2 receptor binding, Drug Alcohol Depend, 2000 (new tab)PMID 10940540
- ChEMBL, fiche composé CHEMBL152187 (Ki et ED50 extraits du document CHEMBL1152041) (new tab)
- PubChem, CID 44368442 (JWH-011) (new tab)
- ANSM, Liste consolidée des substances classées comme stupéfiants (mise à jour du 16 février 2026), annexe IV, famille des indol-3-yl méthanones (new tab)
- INCB, Green List 2026 (conventions de 1961 et 1971), JWH-011 non mentionnée (new tab)
History
- Source
- Synthetic molecule, with no natural occurrence listed in the databases consulted. No source consulted reports it in hemp or in any other plant.
Origin (pharmaceutical research → illicit market)
No biosynthetic pathway: JWH-011 is produced by no living organism. It belongs to chemical synthesis alone, by the class of N-alkylated, 2-methylated naphthoylindoles.
Legal framework
- European Union
No harmonised control measure at European Union level is documented for this molecule in the sources consulted. Its control therefore falls under national legislation.
- France
JWH-011 is not named in the consolidated list of narcotics updated on 16 February 2026. Its structure nevertheless meets the generic definition of the indol-3-yl methanone family, listed in annex IV of the list (psychoactive substances classified in France or in the European Union but not classified under the international conventions): an alkyl substituent on the indole nitrogen, here a branched heptan-2-yl, and a naphthyl group on the methanone bridge carbon. This family names, among others, JWH-007 and JWH-015, two 2-methylated analogues. This reading rests on comparing the structure with the definition, not on a court ruling consulted.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
References
- Huffman JW et coll., Design, synthesis and pharmacology of cannabimimetic indoles, Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 1994 (new tab)DOI 10.1016/S0960-894X(01)80155-4
- Aung MM et coll., Influence of the N-1 alkyl chain length of cannabimimetic indoles upon CB1 and CB2 receptor binding, Drug Alcohol Depend, 2000 (new tab)PMID 10940540
- ChEMBL, fiche composé CHEMBL152187 (Ki et ED50 extraits du document CHEMBL1152041) (new tab)
- PubChem, CID 44368442 (JWH-011) (new tab)
- ANSM, Liste consolidée des substances classées comme stupéfiants (mise à jour du 16 février 2026), annexe IV, famille des indol-3-yl méthanones (new tab)
- INCB, Green List 2026 (conventions de 1961 et 1971), JWH-011 non mentionnée (new tab)
Structured data
- SMILES
- CCCCCC(C)N1C(=C(C2=CC=CC=C21)C(=O)C3=CC=CC4=CC=CC=C43)C
- InChIKey
- HVIWIQFCDXFBDK-UHFFFAOYSA-N
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.