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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Aug 14.
Published in final edited form as: J Psychopharmacol. 2013 Nov 20;28(4):287–302. doi: 10.1177/0269881113512909

Figure 2. Chemical Structures of (S)-ketamine and Phencyclidine.

Figure 2

(S)-ketamine, left, is the more potent of ketamine’s two enantiomers. It is known as 2-chlorphenyl-2-methylamino-cyclohexanone by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists (IUPAC) nomenclature. Phencyclidine (PCP, right) and ketamine share a binding site within the pore of the NMDAR and induce similar effects. Both chemicals are dissociative anesthetics and share structural similarities such as aromaticity.