to methamphetamine. cathinone differs from amphetamine by possessing a ketone oxygen atom (c=o) on the β (beta) position of the side chain. the corresponding alcohol, cathine, is a less powerful stimulant. the biophysiological conversion from cathinone to cathine is to blame for the depotentiation of khat leaves over time. fresh leaves have a greater ratio of cathinone to cathine than dried ones, therefore having more psychoactive effects. there are many cathinone derivatives that include the addition of an r group to the amino end of the molecule. some of these derivatives have medical uses as well. bupropion is one of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants and its structure is cathinone with a tertiary butyl group attached to the nitrogen and chlorine attached to the benzene ring meta- to the main carbon chain. other cathinone derivatives are strong psychoactive drugs. one such drug is methylone, a drug structurally similar to mdma.