Drug · Antidepressant · SSRI/SNRI · Antidepressant · SSRI/SNRI · Sourced compound
Fluoxetine structure · mechanism
PubChem CID 3386. Molecular formula C17H18F3NO. Independently assigned structure; reviewed 2026-10-08. Family grouping is editorial and does not establish shared activity.
Fluoxetine 2D structure
- Role
- Drug
- Mechanism class
- Antidepressant · SSRI/SNRI
- Aliases
- prozac
- InChIKey
RTHCYVBBDHJXIQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- Structure checked
- 2026-10-08
- Molecular formula
- C17H18F3NO
- Structure source
- PubChem
- PubChem CID
- 3386
- InChI Key
- RTHCYVBBDHJXIQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- FDA / EMA
- FDA/EMA
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- fluoxetine depression
Read the two structures
Locate the halogen labels in fluoxetine and sertraline and trace the connections toward nitrogen. Compare aromatic-ring arrangement together with side-chain connectivity. This demonstrates how a drug-class grouping can contain different molecular architectures without implying treatment equivalence.
| Observation | Fluoxetine | Sertraline |
|---|---|---|
| Fluorine atoms | 3 | 0 |
| Chlorine atoms | 0 | 2 |
Connect the structural observations with the fingerprint result
Fluoxetine has three fluorine atoms and no chlorine; sertraline has no fluorine and two chlorines. Fluoxetine’s fluorines cluster around one carbon, while sertraline’s chlorines attach to an aromatic ring. A broad “halogen-containing” category hides different local environments. [Fluoxetine] · [Sertraline]
Eight shared set bits across a union of 62 give 0.129. The molecules can be compared within an antidepressant class, but that grouping does not establish close structural proximity under this fingerprint.
Halogen counts alone cannot establish brain exposure or individual treatment response. These are observations of selected structural representations; exposure and response require separate measurements and clinical context.
Calculated structural similarity: 0.129 · Morgan radius 2 / 2048 bits · Tanimoto
Calculation: 8 / (36 + 34 − 8) = 8 / 62 ≈ 0.129. Set-bit counts are not counts of unique atoms or functional groups.
Query definitions and reproducibility
- Fluorine atoms:
[F] - Chlorine atoms:
[Cl]
RDKit 2025.03.4 · Matches with identical atom sets are counted once. Colours mark atoms and bonds matching selected queries, not a proven shared scaffold or synthesis route.
- Read elemental composition from the formulas.
- Trace ring and substituent connections in each drawing.
- Compare your observations with the fingerprint score calculated under identical settings.
- Check stereochemistry and the complete InChIKey in the source records.
The score is fingerprint overlap, not a percentage of efficacy or safety. RDKit
Structure-source check: 2026-10-08 / 2026-10-08 · Editorial update and calculation check: 2026-10-16
Download source structures, queries and bit counts for this comparison (JSON)
StructureMoa editorial · source review 2026-10-08
Molecular identity
Fluoxetine: independently retrieved PubChem CID 3386, formula C17H18F3NO.
How to compare
Locate the halogen labels in fluoxetine and sertraline and trace the connections toward nitrogen. Compare aromatic-ring arrangement together with side-chain connectivity. This demonstrates how a drug-class grouping can contain different molecular architectures without implying treatment equivalence.
Interpretation limits
The Morgan/Tanimoto score measures fingerprint overlap. It does not establish efficacy, safety, clinical superiority or full stereochemical identity.
SMILES
CNCCC(C1=CC=CC=C1)OC2=CC=C(C=C2)C(F)(F)FTags
Related compounds
External IDs · BioMoa
StructureMoa is a chemical-structure exploration tool. Structural similarity, clustering, and SAR relationships are intended for research exploration and do not establish shared potency, selectivity, safety, efficacy, or clinical performance.
Editorial responsibility and corrections
Operated and edited by the independent StructureMoa project. Explanations use AI assistance; structural identity and similarity are checked against source records and calculation tests. Molecular data and clinical or regulatory evidence have separate review scopes.
- Source structures
- PubChem · CID / SMILES / InChIKey
- Calculations and automated checks
- RDKit · Morgan / SMARTS
- Disclosed specialist review
- No separate external specialist review is disclosed. Passing automated tests is not specialist review of clinical claims.
For a correction, include the page URL, molecule name or CID, the field in question and a supporting source. Corrections are checked against sources, and the affected editorial update date is changed when a correction is published. [email protected]