ALD-52

1-acetyl-n,n-diethyllysergamide (also known as ald-52, 1-acetyl-lsd, 1a-lsd, 1a-lad, and mistakenly as orange sunshine) is a lesser-known psychedelic substance of the lysergamide class that produces lsd-like psychedelic effects when administered. it is structurally related to psychedelic lysergamides like lsd and 1p-lsd and is reported to produce largely indistinguishable effects.

ald-52 was originally discovered by albert hofmann in his study of lsd analogs, but it did not enter mainstream awareness until the 1960s western youth counterculture. ald-52 gained public notoriety when it was supposedly distributed as lsd in the 1960s under the now-famous name “orange sunshine.” this was later disproven (see section below).

alexander shulgin touches briefly on the subject of ald-52 in the commentary section of lsd-25 in the book tihkal (“tryptamines i have known and loved”). his writings are based on second-hand accounts which state that doses in the 50-175 µg range result in various effects that are not particularly distinct from lsd. his reports indicate that it produces less visual distortion than with lsd as well as less anxiety and tenseness, while also being somewhat less potent than lsd. another report found the two substances to be indistinguishable.

as with lsd itself, ald-52 does not meet the criteria to be considered addictive or toxic by the scientific community. nevertheless, unpredictable adverse reactions such as anxiety, paranoia, delusions and psychosis are always possible, particularly among those who are predisposed to psychiatric disorders. while these negative reactions or “bad trips” can often be attributed to factors like user inexperience or improper preparation of set and setting, they are known to happen spontaneously among even highly experienced users as well. it is highly advised to approach this very potent, long-lasting hallucinogenic substance with the proper amount of preparation, and harm reduction practices if using it.

history and culture

in 1968 and 1969, a famous batch of lsd known as “orange sunshine” was synthesized by nick sands and tim scully and made widely available in california. this “orange sunshine” was long held by the hippie generation to be ald-52 until 2005, when it was revealed by nick sands that “orange sunshine” was just a particularly well made batch of lsd dosed at 300 micrograms per unit. this was confirmed by tim scully in a 2017 reddit ama, where scully explained that the claim that “orange sunshine” was technically not lsd arose from an “ill-advised desperate defense strategy that failed miserably” during his trial for lsd manufacture.

chemistry

ald-52, or 1-acetyl-n,n-diethyllysergamide, is a semisynthethic molecule of the lysergamide chemical class. ald-52 is a substituted derivative of lysergic acid. ald-52’s structure contains four rings, a bicyclic hexahydroindole fused to a bicyclic quinoline group. this core structure of ald-52 is an ergoline derivative, and has tryptamine and phenethylamine structures embedded within it. ald-52 contains a n,n-diethylcarboxamide functional group bound to r₈ of the chemical structure. it is additionally substituted at carbon 6 with a methyl group.

ald-52 is homologous to 1p-lsd, which contains a propionyl group bound to ch₃co- instead of the acetyl group bound to the same location. it is unknown how these differences account for differences in the two compound’s activity.

pharmacology

ald-52 likely acts as a 5-ht_2a partial agonist. the psychedelic effects are believed to come from ald-52’s efficacy at the 5-ht_2a receptors. however, the role of these interactions and how they result in the psychedelic experience continues to remain elusive.

ald-52, alongside with 1p-lsd, is believed to act as a prodrug to lsd, though it is unclear as to whether it is capable of exerting its own effects.