JWH-098
Synthetic cannabinoid from the JWH series, classified as a narcotic in France by a generic family definition.
C₂₆H₂₇NO₂
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
- (4-methoxynaphthalen-1-yl)-(2-methyl-1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone
- Other names
- 2-Methyl-1-pentyl-3-(4-methoxynaphthoyl)indole
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₆H₂₇NO₂
- Molar mass
- 385.50 g/mol
- CAS
- 316189-74-9
- PubChem CID
- 45272116(new tab)
- InChIKey
- CNTCHEBQQFICNR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Class
- Family
- Synthetic cannabinoid (SCRA)
Updated on
Receptors and activity
- CB1Agonist88 out of 100
Ki 4,51 nM (cerveau de rat ; De Freitas et coll., 2009) ; agonisme présumé par classe, non mesuré dans les sources consultées
- CB2Agonist90 out of 100
Ki 1,90 nM (CB2 humain cloné ; De Freitas et coll., 2009) ; agonisme présumé par classe, non mesuré dans les sources consultées
Subjective signature
- Calm
- 10 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
- 8 out of 100
- Euphoria and sensory intensity; altered perception of time and space.
- Appetite
- 10 out of 100
- Stimulation of hunger and of taste appreciation (the “munchies” effect).
- Sleep
- 10 out of 100
- Sedative effect: aids sleep onset and the continuity of deep sleep.
Pharmacology
JWH-098, or 2-methyl-1-pentyl-3-(4-methoxynaphthoyl)indole, is a synthetic cannabinoid from the naphthoylindole family, within the JWH series. It differs from JWH-081 only by a methyl group on carbon 2 of the indole. Its Ki is 4.51 nM on CB1 (rat brain) and 1.90 nM on human CB2 (De Freitas et al., 2009), a modelling study from which ChEMBL takes these values. Its functional efficacy is not documented in the sources consulted. A 2014 study examined its metabolism on rat liver slices, to help detect its metabolites in biological fluids (Strano-Rossi et al., 2014). No pharmacokinetic or toxicological data in humans are published in the sources consulted.
Key sources.
- De Freitas et coll., modélisation CoMFA et CoMSIA des ligands indoles de CB1 et CB2, Eur J Med Chem 2009 (new tab)PMID 19249138
- Strano-Rossi et coll., métabolisme du JWH-015, JWH-098, JWH-251 et JWH-307, Anal Bioanal Chem 2014 (new tab)PMID 24804821
- Huffman et coll., relations structure-activité des 1-alkyl-3-(1-naphtoyl)indoles sur CB1 et CB2, Bioorg Med Chem 2005 (new tab)PMID 15582455
- Liste consolidée des substances classées comme stupéfiants, ANSM, mise à jour du 16 février 2026 (new tab)
- Green List de l'INCB 2026 (conventions de 1971) (new tab)
- PubChem, CID 45272116 (new tab)
History
- Source
- Fully synthetic molecule from the JWH series of naphthoylindoles. No natural occurrence is recorded for this compound, which is not present in cannabis. It is described in the scientific literature as a synthetic cannabinoid, and its detection in biological fluids is the subject of studies.
Origin (pharmaceutical research → illicit market)
No biosynthetic pathway is described for this molecule: it results from organic synthesis within the naphthoylindole chemical class.
Legal framework
- European Union
No harmonised control measure at European Union level is documented for this molecule in the sources consulted; its control falls under national legislation.
- France
Not named in the consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics (ANSM, updated 16 February 2026), but classified as a narcotic under a generic family definition: « Indol-3-yl methanone ». This definition covers an indole ring bearing an alkyl substituent on the nitrogen and a naphthyl group, substituted or not, on the methanone bridge carbon. JWH-098 meets each of these conditions: a pentyl chain on the nitrogen and a 4-methoxynaphthyl group on the bridge. The definition does not restrict substitutions on carbon 2 of the indole: JWH-007, a 2-methylated analogue, is among the examples cited for this family, as is JWH-081, its analogue without a methyl at position 2.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
References
- De Freitas et coll., modélisation CoMFA et CoMSIA des ligands indoles de CB1 et CB2, Eur J Med Chem 2009 (new tab)PMID 19249138
- Strano-Rossi et coll., métabolisme du JWH-015, JWH-098, JWH-251 et JWH-307, Anal Bioanal Chem 2014 (new tab)PMID 24804821
- Huffman et coll., relations structure-activité des 1-alkyl-3-(1-naphtoyl)indoles sur CB1 et CB2, Bioorg Med Chem 2005 (new tab)PMID 15582455
- Liste consolidée des substances classées comme stupéfiants, ANSM, mise à jour du 16 février 2026 (new tab)
- Green List de l'INCB 2026 (conventions de 1971) (new tab)
- PubChem, CID 45272116 (new tab)
Structured data
- SMILES
- CCCCCN1C(=C(C2=CC=CC=C21)C(=O)C3=CC=C(C4=CC=CC=C43)OC)C
- InChIKey
- CNTCHEBQQFICNR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.