Diarylethylamines (also 1,2-diarylethylamines) are a chemical class of dissociative drugs characterized by an ethylamine backbone bearing two aryl (aromatic ring) substituents — in contrast to the arylcyclohexylamines (such as ketamine and PCP), where the amine is attached to a cyclohexane ring bearing one aryl group. The class includes diphenidine, ephenidine, fluorolintane (2-FPPI), and several related compounds that emerged primarily as research chemicals in the novel psychoactive substances market beginning around 2013.
Diarylethylamines produce dissociative effects broadly similar to ketamine through NMDA receptor antagonism, but with important pharmacological differences — notably the additional interaction with monoamine transporters (DAT, NET), which confers a stimulant character absent from ketamine. The combination of dissociative and stimulant properties, sometimes described as a "dissociative with a push," creates a qualitatively distinct experience from ketamine and carries a different risk profile including greater psychosis potential and cardiovascular stimulation.
The class is primarily known from harm reduction and research chemical contexts — unlike ketamine, which has legitimate clinical applications and an established safety profile, diarylethylamines lack clinical history and have limited toxicological characterization. Community reports are the primary source of practical knowledge about their effects and risks. The class remains relatively niche within the dissociative space, with far fewer users and documented cases than the arylcyclohexylamine class.