Chemical substance record

Phenformin

114-86-3C₁₀H₁₅N₅205.265 g/mol

Organic/Inorganic Small MoleculeChEBI source record

A member of the class of biguanides that is biguanide in which one of the terminal nitrogen atoms is substituted by a 2-phenylethyl group. It was used as an anti-diabetic drug but was later withdrawn from the market due to potential risk of lactic acidosis. — ChEBI

Safety references

Safety documents & references

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Identity & molecular properties

Source-linked values

CAS number	114-86-3	ChEBI ↗
Molecular formula	C₁₀H₁₅N₅	ChEBI ↗
Molar mass	205.265 g/mol	ChEBI ↗
Monoisotopic mass	205.13275 Da	ChEBI ↗
Formal charge	0	ChEBI ↗
ChEBI identifier	CHEBI:8064	ChEBI ↗

Cross-source molecular data

PubChem

Molar mass	205.26 g/mol	PubChem ↗
Exact mass	205.13274550 Da	PubChem ↗
Computed XLogP	-0.8	PubChem ↗
Topological polar surface area (Å²)	103	PubChem ↗
H-bond donors	3	PubChem ↗
H-bond acceptors	1	PubChem ↗
Rotatable bonds	4	PubChem ↗

PubChem computed values are shown separately from the ChEBI record. An exact InChIKey match was used to connect the records. Molecular descriptors do not describe a supplied product’s purity, particle size or performance.

Names & structural identifiers

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Source preferred name

phenformin

IUPAC name

N-(2-phenylethyl)imidodicarbonimidic diamide

InChIKey

ICFJFFQQTFMIBG-UHFFFAOYSA-N

SMILES

N=C(N)NC(=N)NCCc1ccccc1

InChI

InChI=1S/C10H15N5/c11-9(12)15-10(13)14-7-6-8-4-2-1-3-5-8/h1-5H,6-7H2,(H6,11,12,13,14,15)

Names & synonyms

fenforminaN-(2-phenylethyl)imidodicarbonimidic diamidephenforminephenforminum

Names are supplied by ChEBI. Trade names and related synonyms may describe a broader product context.

Classification & relationships

ChEBI ontology

biguanidesChEBI parent class · 53662 ↗

organic molecular entity

Roles recorded in ChEBI

geroprotectorhypoglycemic agentantineoplastic agent

Database role annotations describe reported biological or chemical roles; they are not product approvals or recommendations for use.

Mass ↔ amount of substance

Calculated from sourced mass

Amount

Input unit

Equivalent amount

0.00487175 mol

Uses 205.265 g/mol from ChEBI. Assumes the substance described by this record; no purity or concentration correction is applied.

Elemental composition

Theoretical mass fractions

C

Carbon · 10 atoms

58.51%

N

Nitrogen · 5 atoms

34.12%

H

Hydrogen · 15 atoms

7.37%

Calculated theoretical mass fractions from the reported formula and PubChem periodic-table atomic masses. These are not assay or purity results.

Research & patent references

Selected source associations

Phenformin-induced lactic acidosis in an older diabetic patient: a recurrent drama (phenformin and lactic acidosis). ↗Diabetes care · 2006 Apr · PMID 16567854

Hazards posed by a banned drug--phenformin is still hanging around. ↗Hong Kong medical journal = Xianggang yi xue za zhi · 2008 Feb · PMID 18239244

US2961377 · Patent reference ↗Patent cross-reference supplied by ChEBI. Association alone does not establish claim scope.

US3057780 · Patent reference ↗Patent cross-reference supplied by ChEBI. Association alone does not establish claim scope.

WO2010114805 · Patent reference ↗Patent cross-reference supplied by ChEBI. Association alone does not establish claim scope.

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Sources & record history

Checked 27 Sep 2026

Identity, formula, mass, synonyms & ontologyEMBL-EBI ChEBI · CHEBI:8064

Release 255, 9 September 2026. ChEBI three-star (manually annotated) source entry. View original record ↗ · CC BY 4.0

Additional molecular descriptorsNCBI PubChem · CID 8249 · retrieved 2026-09-27

PubCAS formats source data, connects references and computes explicitly labelled conversions. CAS cross-references are supplied by ChEBI; they do not constitute CAS verification or endorsement.

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