Strychnine (CHEM002423)

Record Information
Version1.0
Creation Date2009-07-23 18:26:10 UTC
Update Date2026-05-14 19:53:53 UTC
Accession NumberCHEM002423
Identification
Common NameStrychnine
ClassSmall Molecule
Description
Strychnine is a plant toxin most commonly found in the seeds of the Strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica L.). It is used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine causes muscular convulsions and eventually death through asphyxia or sheer exhaustion. (2)
Contaminant Sources
  • Clean Air Act Chemicals
  • HPV EPA Chemicals
  • STOFF IDENT Compounds
  • T3DB toxins
  • ToxCast & Tox21 Chemicals
Contaminant Type
  • Amide
  • Amine
  • Ether
  • Human Neurotoxin
  • Natural Compound
  • Organic Compound
  • PFAS
  • Pesticide
  • Plant Toxin
Chemical Structure
MOLSDFPDBSMILESInChI
Synonyms
ValueSource
Strychnine nitrateMeSH
Nitrate, strychnineMeSH
Chemical FormulaC21H22N2O2
Average Molecular Mass334.412 g/mol
Monoisotopic Mass334.168 g/mol
CAS Registry Number57-24-9
IUPAC Name12-oxa-8,17-diazaheptacyclo[15.5.2.0¹,¹⁸.0²,⁷.0⁸,²².0¹¹,²¹.0¹⁵,²⁰]tetracosa-2,4,6,14-tetraen-9-one
Traditional Namestrychnos
SMILESO=C1CC2OCC=C3CN4CCC56C4CC3C2C5N1C1=CC=CC=C61
InChI IdentifierInChI=1S/C21H22N2O2/c24-18-10-16-19-13-9-17-21(6-7-22(17)11-12(13)5-8-25-16)14-3-1-2-4-15(14)23(18)20(19)21/h1-5,13,16-17,19-20H,6-11H2
InChI KeyQMGVPVSNSZLJIA-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Chemical Taxonomy
Description Belongs to the class of organic compounds known as strychnos alkaloids. These are alkaloids having a core structure based on the strychnan, stemmadenine (seco-curan), or the akuammicine (curan) skeleton.
KingdomOrganic compounds
Super ClassAlkaloids and derivatives
ClassStrychnos alkaloids
Sub ClassNot Available
Direct ParentStrychnos alkaloids
Alternative Parents
Substituents
  • Strychnan skeleton
  • Akuammicine-skeleton
  • Stemmadenine-skeleton
  • Carbazole
  • Quinolidine
  • Indole or derivatives
  • Indolizidine
  • Aralkylamine
  • Piperidinone
  • Delta-lactam
  • Piperidine
  • Benzenoid
  • N-alkylpyrrolidine
  • Tertiary carboxylic acid amide
  • Pyrrolidine
  • Tertiary aliphatic amine
  • Tertiary amine
  • Carboxamide group
  • Amino acid or derivatives
  • Lactam
  • Carboxylic acid derivative
  • Dialkyl ether
  • Ether
  • Oxacycle
  • Azacycle
  • Organoheterocyclic compound
  • Organic nitrogen compound
  • Organic oxide
  • Amine
  • Hydrocarbon derivative
  • Organic oxygen compound
  • Carbonyl group
  • Organonitrogen compound
  • Organooxygen compound
  • Organopnictogen compound
  • Aromatic heteropolycyclic compound
Molecular FrameworkAromatic heteropolycyclic compounds
External DescriptorsNot Available
Biological Properties
StatusDetected and Not Quantified
OriginExogenous
Cellular Locations
  • Cytoplasm
  • Extracellular
Biofluid LocationsNot Available
Tissue LocationsNot Available
PathwaysNot Available
Applications
Biological Roles
Chemical RolesNot Available
Physical Properties
StateSolid
AppearanceWhite powder.
Experimental Properties
PropertyValue
Melting Point287°C
Boiling PointNot Available
Solubility0.16 mg/mL at 25°C [SEIDELL,A (1941)]
Predicted Properties
PropertyValueSource
Water Solubility1.72 g/LALOGPS
logP1.68ALOGPS
logP0.93ChemAxon
logS-2.3ALOGPS
pKa (Strongest Acidic)17.24ChemAxon
pKa (Strongest Basic)9.27ChemAxon
Physiological Charge1ChemAxon
Hydrogen Acceptor Count3ChemAxon
Hydrogen Donor Count0ChemAxon
Polar Surface Area32.78 ŲChemAxon
Rotatable Bond Count0ChemAxon
Refractivity94.51 m³·mol⁻¹ChemAxon
Polarizability35.79 ųChemAxon
Number of Rings7ChemAxon
BioavailabilityYesChemAxon
Rule of FiveYesChemAxon
Ghose FilterYesChemAxon
Veber's RuleYesChemAxon
MDDR-like RuleNoChemAxon
Spectra
Spectra
Toxicity Profile
Route of ExposureOral (ingestion) (3) ; dermal (3)
Mechanism of ToxicityStrychnine acts as an antagonist at the inhibitory or strychnine-sensitive glycine receptor, a ligand-gated chloride channel in the spinal cord and the brain. (2)
MetabolismNot Available
Toxicity ValuesLD50: 2350 ug/kg (Oral, Rat) (4) LD50: 1100 ug/kg (Intraperitoneal, Rat) (4) LD50: 1200 ug/kg (Subcutaneous, Rat) (4) LD50: 582 ug/kg (Intravenous, Rat) (4)
Lethal DoseNot Available
Carcinogenicity (IARC Classification)No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Uses/SourcesStrychnine is a plant toxin most commonly found in the seeds of the Strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica L.). It is used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. (2)
Minimum Risk LevelNot Available
Health EffectsDeath may result from asphyxia or sheer exhaustion. (2)
SymptomsStrychnine causes muscular convulsions of increasing intensity and frequency and eventually death through asphyxia or sheer exhaustion. (2)
TreatmentTreatment of strychnine poisoning involves an oral application of an activated charcoal infusion to absorb any poison within the digestive tract that has not yet been absorbed into the blood. Anticonvulsants such as phenobarbital or diazepam are administered to control convulsions, along with muscle relaxants such as dantrolene to combat muscle rigidity. (1)
Concentrations
Not Available
External Links
DrugBank IDNot Available
HMDB IDHMDB0258517
FooDB IDNot Available
Phenol Explorer IDNot Available
KNApSAcK IDC00001770
BiGG IDNot Available
BioCyc IDNot Available
METLIN IDNot Available
PDB IDNot Available
Wikipedia LinkStrychnine
Chemspider ID5113
ChEBI IDNot Available
PubChem Compound ID5304
Kegg Compound IDNot Available
YMDB IDNot Available
ECMDB IDNot Available
References
Synthesis ReferenceNot Available
MSDSNot Available
General References