A 1,4-dioxane analogue (1) of the alpha 2-adrenoreceptor partial agonist clonidine (2) has previously been shown to possess an interesting but complex pharmacological profile. In this study, from a series of other heterocyclic analogues of clonidine, the 1,4-oxazines 6 and 12 were found to resemble 1 in that they are partial alpha 2-agonists in the periphery and are excluded from the central nervous system. However, when given directly into the brain, they behave as pure alpha 2-antagonists.