Epinephrine bitartrate
[CAS 51-42-3]

Identification

• Classification: API >> Circulatory system medication >> Anti-shock vasoactive drug
• Name: Epinephrine bitartrate
• Synonyms: (R)-4-[1-Hydroxy-2-(methylamino)ethyl]-1,2-Benzenediol [R-(R*,R*)]-2,3-dihydroxybutanedioate salt; L-3,4-Dihydroxy-alpha-(methylaminomethyl)benzyl alcohol D-hydrogen bitartrate salt
• Molecular Formula: C₉H₁₃NO₃.C₄H₆O₆
• Molecular Weight: 333.29
• CAS Registry Number: 51-42-3
• EC Number: 200-097-1
• SMILES: CNC[C@@H](C1=CC(=C(C=C1)O)O)O.[C@@H]([C@H](C(=O)O)O)(C(=O)O)O

Properties

• Solubility: DMSO 68 mg/mL, Water 67 mg/mL (Expl.)

Safety Data

• Hazard Symbols: GHS06;GHS07 Danger
• Risk Statements: H300-H315-H319-H335
• Safety Statements: P261-P264-P264+P265-P270-P271-P280-P301+P316-P302+P352-P304+P340-P305+P351+P338-P319-P321-P330-P332+P317-P337+P317-P362+P364-P403+P233-P405-P501

Hazard Classification

Hazard	Class	Category Code	Hazard Statement
Acute toxicity	Acute Tox.	2	H300
Skin irritation	Skin Irrit.	2	H315
Eye irritation	Eye Irrit.	2	H319
Specific target organ toxicity - single exposure	STOT SE	3	H335
Acute toxicity	Acute Tox.	1	H300
Acute toxicity	Acute Tox.	2	H310
Acute toxicity	Acute Tox.	1	H330
Acute toxicity	Acute Tox.	1	H310
Chronic hazardous to the aquatic environment	Aquatic Chronic	3	H412
Acute toxicity	Acute Tox.	2	H330
Skin sensitization	Skin Sens.	1	H317
Acute toxicity	Acute Tox.	3	H311
Specific target organ toxicity - repeated exposure	STOT RE	2	H373
Reproductive toxicity	Repr.	1B	H360
Germ cell mutagenicity	Muta.	2	H341

• Transport Information: UN 2811

chemBlink Chemical Story

Epinephrine bitartrate is the bitartrate salt of epinephrine, or adrenaline, one of the defining molecules in hormone and neurotransmitter chemistry. Jokichi Takamine reported crystalline adrenaline in 1901. Epinephrine became a foundational example of sympathetic signaling and adrenergic pharmacology. PubChem identifies CAS 51-42-3 as C13H19NO9 and a direct-acting sympathomimetic acting at both alpha and beta adrenergic receptors. The salt provides a defined pharmaceutical form; epinephrine is the active species after dissolution. Clinically, epinephrine is central to emergency treatment of anaphylaxis and is also used in resuscitation and as a vasoconstrictor in selected formulations.

The exact registry identity matters because free forms, salts, hydrates, stereoisomers, metabolites, intermediates and finished medicines can have separate CAS numbers even when their names are closely related. This distinction affects molecular weight, analytical standards, formulation, manufacturing specifications and interpretation of published data. A reliable database story therefore follows the exact substance rather than silently borrowing every property of a related compound.

Structure also shows how chemists use functional groups as deliberate tools. Aromatic and heterocyclic frameworks establish molecular shape and electronics, while amines, hydroxyl groups, carbonyls, carboxyl functions or ionic centers determine reactivity and intermolecular interactions. In multistep synthesis, a compound may be valuable precisely because one position can be transformed selectively while the rest of a complex framework survives.

Modern development is also an analytical-control problem. Researchers must establish identity and purity, distinguish relevant stereoisomers or salt forms, monitor process-related species and define reproducible specifications. These requirements explain why an intermediate, metabolite or reagent can be scientifically important even when it is never administered as an independent medicine.

A Chemical Story must distinguish documented use from structural possibility. A familiar scaffold may suggest an activity, but resemblance is not evidence that the exact CAS substance has been tested or approved for that purpose. Verified history and demonstrated applications therefore take priority over attractive but unsupported extrapolation.

Seen broadly, practical performance emerges from the entire molecular system rather than one recognizable group. Structure, stereochemistry, physical form, synthetic route, metabolism and reaction environment can all determine what a substance actually does. Connecting those molecular details to its documented role is what turns a registry entry into a meaningful chemical story.

The exact registry identity matters because free forms, salts, hydrates, stereoisomers, metabolites, intermediates and finished medicines can have separate CAS numbers even when their names are closely related. This distinction affects molecular weight, analytical standards, formulation, manufacturing specifications and interpretation of published data. A reliable database story therefore follows the exact substance rather than silently borrowing every property of a related compound.

Structure also shows how chemists use functional groups as deliberate tools. Aromatic and heterocyclic frameworks establish molecular shape and electronics, while amines, hydroxyl groups, carbonyls, carboxyl functions or ionic centers determine reactivity and intermolecular interactions. In multistep synthesis, a compound may be valuable precisely because one position can be transformed selectively while the rest of a complex framework survives.

Modern development is also an analytical-control problem. Researchers must establish identity and purity, distinguish relevant stereoisomers or salt forms, monitor process-related species and define reproducible specifications. These requirements explain why an intermediate, metabolite or reagent can be scientifically important even when it is never administered as an independent medicine.

A Chemical Story must distinguish documented use from structural possibility. A familiar scaffold may suggest an activity, but resemblance is not evidence that the exact CAS substance has been tested or approved for that purpose. Verified history and demonstrated applications therefore take priority over attractive but unsupported extrapolation.

References:
1. PubChem. Epinephrine Bitartrate, CID 5815.
2. FDA GSRS. Epinephrine Bitartrate, UNII 30Q7KI53AK.
3. Bennett MR. Historical reviews of adrenaline and adrenergic pharmacology.

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