ALD-52 (1-acetyl-lysergic acid diethylamide) is a semi-synthetic lysergamide characterized by an acetyl group at the N¹ position of the indole nitrogen. Originally synthesized in the mid-20th century, it represents one of the earlier N¹-acyl modifications of the lysergamide scaffold and has been periodically revisited in analytical and forensic literature.
Within modern laboratory contexts, ALD-52 is frequently included in panels of substituted lysergamides for comparative evaluation of:
• LC-MS(/MS) and LC-HRMS fragmentation behavior across N¹-acyl derivatives;
• Chromatographic retention and separation relative to non-acylated and other acylated lysergamides;
• Stability and potential N¹-deacylation under various analytical or storage conditions;
• Structural trends relating acyl substitution to ionization efficiency and mass-spectral characteristics.
Because it features a relatively simple acetyl modification, ALD-52 often serves as a baseline reference when examining more complex N¹-acyl lysergamides introduced in later research.