moleculefinder

Methylphenidate

C14H19NO2233.31 g/mol Calculated

Also called methyl phenidylacetate and MPH.

The stimulant sold as Ritalin and Concerta, used for ADHD and narcolepsy. It shares the phenethylamine skeleton with the body's own messengers.

Sources and notes
  • The introductionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
  • Other namesfrom sourceWikidataIts English label and aliases on Wikidata.
  • Formula and weightcomputedPubChem
  • 2D drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKit
  • 3D modelfrom sourcePubChem 3D conformerLoaded after the page has painted, and on a phone only when you ask for it; the 2D drawing shows until it arrives.

Where you encounter it

Dispensed on prescription, not sold on a shelf. Methylphenidate on the product labels we hold.

Medicines

ConcertaAdded by the makerActive ingredient
RitalinAdded by the makerActive ingredient

Every product and list we hold

Sources and notes
  • The product labels and their strengthsfrom sourceDailyMed (FDA label)Each label lists the molecule as an ingredient, and an active ingredient at the strength shown.
  • How it gets therefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedEach mark is set by hand on our lists, never inferred; a label's ingredient is added by the maker. A row with no mark data says Not marked.
  • The line abovefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedFrom the group the molecule belongs to.

Explore its structure

Choose a part to light it up.

A C=O joined through an oxygen to another carbon, the link an acid and an alcohol make when they combine. Water can split it back into the two.

From: standard chemistry.

Sources and notes
  • The drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKitThe page's one shipped drawing, with the chosen part lit in amber under it.
  • The partscomputedFound by ruleEach part is found by a chemical pattern, never picked by hand atom by atom; its words say where they come from.

Compare a related molecule

Dexmethylphenidate

Methylphenidate

The same atoms; at the two marked carbons dexmethylphenidate is one form, methylphenidate a mix.

Methylphenidate is a mix of two mirror-image forms, and dexmethylphenidate is the active d-threo form isolated, so the same molecule does the work.

Dexmethylphenidate vs Methylphenidate, side by side

Also compared

Sources and notes
  • The sentencefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
  • The two drawingscomputedPubChem structures, drawn by RDKitDrawn the same way round; the amber marks where the two differ.
  • The captionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated

Properties and sources

Calculated by PubChem

Molecular formula
C14H19NO2
Molecular weight
233.31 g/mol
XLogP3octanol/water, log units
0.2
Polar surface areatopological
38.3 Ų
H-bond donors
1
H-bond acceptors
3
Rotatable bonds
4
Complexity
249

Measured LD50, HSDB via PubChem

190 mg/kg pure methylphenidate, mouse, oral

An LD50 is an animal study measurement, not a dose for a person.

Reported Hazard label (GHS), ECHA, HSDB via PubChem

Danger Irritant pictogram (GHS07) and Health hazard pictogram (GHS08); hazard statements H302, H315, H319, H334, H341

Reported Licence

The US Food and Drug Administration licenses Methylphenidate for human use (NDA 010187, authorized December 5, 1955), as Ritalin. Drugs@FDA

Groups it belongs to

Category
Prescription medicine
Family
Stimulants
Chemical groups
Amines, Aromatics, Esters
Elements
Nitrogen
Hazard classes
Irritant, Health hazard, GHS Danger
SMILESCOC(=O)C(C1CCCCN1)C2=CC=CC=C2

PubChem CID 4158 · Wikidata Q422112 · InChIKey DUGOZIWVEXMGBE-UHFFFAOYSA-N · Data refreshed

How MoleculeFinder sources and labels its data

Questions
What is Methylphenidate?
The stimulant sold as Ritalin and Concerta, used for ADHD and narcolepsy. It shares the phenethylamine skeleton with the body's own messengers.
How toxic is Methylphenidate?
The reported LD50 of Methylphenidate is 190 mg/kg (mouse, oral). An LD50 is an animal study measurement, not a dose for a person. Its GHS hazard label carries the signal word Danger and the hazard pictograms Irritant and Health hazard. from sourcefrom source
What kind of molecule is Methylphenidate?
Methylphenidate has the formula C14H19NO2 and a molecular weight of 233.31 g/mol. MoleculeFinder files it under stimulants, in the prescription medicine group. from sourcefrom sourcefrom sourcefrom source
What else is Methylphenidate called?
Methylphenidate is also called methyl phenidylacetate and MPH. from source
Who licenses Methylphenidate as a medicine?
The US Food and Drug Administration licenses Methylphenidate for human use (NDA 010187, authorized December 5, 1955), as Ritalin. from source
Sources and notes
  • Calculated valuescomputedPubChemComputed from the structure, so no laboratory conditions apply; complexity is PubChem's own structural score.
  • LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChemOther values the sources report: mouse, another route, 32 mg/kg; mouse, intravenous, 41 mg/kg; mouse, another route, 218 mg/kg; rat, another route, 430 mg/kg. The page shows the one LD50 the site uses everywhere.
  • Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA, HSDB via PubChemThe label combines these classifications.
  • ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
  • Licencefrom sourceDrugs@FDARead 2026-10-21.
  • Data refreshedfrom sourceMoleculeFinder2026-11-09

Keep exploring

The same atoms; at the two marked carbons dexmethylphenidate is one form, methylphenidate a mix.DexmethylphenidateC14H19NO2Compared side by side with methylphenidateAmphetamineC9H13N
Sources and notes
  • A group apartfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison captions
  • Compared side by sidefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesA molecule we compare it with on its own page.
  • The drawingscomputedPubChem structures, drawn by RDKit