Neobine

Neobine is a fictional chemical compound commonly used in educational texts and speculative fiction to illustrate concepts in organic chemistry, pharmacology, and materials science. It is not a real, commercially available substance and has no verified existence in public chemical databases.

In standard fictional depictions, neobine is described as a compact heteroaromatic framework with a nitrogen-containing ring fused to a benzene-derived core. The model typically assigns it a moderate molecular weight and amphiphilic character, enabling discussions of solubility, lipophilicity, and receptor interaction without reference to a real substance.

Because neobine is fictional, there is no canonical synthesis. Illustrative mechanisms in textbooks often use generic steps such as cyclization, amide formation, and selective substitutions to demonstrate synthetic planning rather than report a real procedure. Researchers and educators may assign a sample SMILES string or structural diagram purely for pedagogical purposes.

Applications of the neobine concept include teaching structure-activity relationships, pharmacokinetic modeling, and in silico docking exercises. It is sometimes referenced in comparative studies to contrast with actual compounds, highlighting uncertainties in predictions when a model structure lacks real-world validation.

See also: placeholder compounds in chemical education; model compounds; fictitious substances in science education.