Chemical substance record

Melatonin

73-31-4C₁₃H₁₆N₂O₂232.283 g/mol

Organic/Inorganic Small MoleculeChEBI source record

A member of the class of acetamides that is acetamide in which one of the hydrogens attached to the nitrogen atom is replaced by a 2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl group. It is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in humans. — ChEBI

Safety references

Safety documents & references

Supplier matching matters

Find the safety document for your specific supplier, product number and grade.

Find a product-specific SDS

Search SDS PDFs Sigma-Aldrich Thermo Fisher

Safety guides and government classification records are not a manufacturer’s SDS. Match supplier, product number, concentration, physical form, region and revision before using a document.

Identity & molecular properties

Source-linked values

CAS number	73-31-4	ChEBI ↗
Molecular formula	C₁₃H₁₆N₂O₂	ChEBI ↗
Molar mass	232.283 g/mol	ChEBI ↗
Monoisotopic mass	232.12118 Da	ChEBI ↗
Formal charge	0	ChEBI ↗
ChEBI identifier	CHEBI:16796	ChEBI ↗

Cross-source molecular data

PubChem

Molar mass	232.28 g/mol	PubChem ↗
Exact mass	232.121177757 Da	PubChem ↗
Computed XLogP	0.8	PubChem ↗
Topological polar surface area (Å²)	54.1	PubChem ↗
H-bond donors	2	PubChem ↗
H-bond acceptors	2	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

Copy any identifier

Source preferred name

melatonin

IUPAC name

N-[2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]acetamide

InChIKey

DRLFMBDRBRZALE-UHFFFAOYSA-N

SMILES

COc1ccc2ncc(CCNC(C)=O)c2c1

InChI

InChI=1S/C13H16N2O2/c1-9(16)14-6-5-10-8-15-13-4-3-11(17-2)7-12(10)13/h3-4,7-8,15H,5-6H2,1-2H3,(H,14,16)

Names & synonyms

N-[2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]acetamide

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

Classification & relationships

ChEBI ontology

acetamidesChEBI parent class · 22160 ↗tryptaminesChEBI parent class · 27162 ↗

organic heterocyclic compound organic molecular entity

Roles recorded in ChEBI

geroprotectorantiviral agentrenoprotective agenthormoneantibacterial agentantidepressantanxiolytic drugantipsychotic agentanalgesiccentral nervous system depressant

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

0.00430509 mol

Uses 232.283 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 · 13 atoms

67.22%

O

Oxygen · 2 atoms

13.78%

N

Nitrogen · 2 atoms

12.06%

H

Hydrogen · 16 atoms

6.94%

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

Melatonin as antioxidant, geroprotector and anticarcinogen. ↗Biochimica et biophysica acta · 2006 May-Jun · PMID 16678784

Does melatonin play a role in aging processes? ↗Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society · 2007 Dec · PMID 18212404

Search PubMed Google Scholar

Sources & record history

Checked 27 Sep 2026

Identity, formula, mass, synonyms & ontologyEMBL-EBI ChEBI · CHEBI:16796

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

Additional molecular descriptorsNCBI PubChem · CID 896 · 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.

How this record was assembled Suggest a correction