EXHIBIT 31.1

                                 CERTIFICATIONS

I, Leonard Firestone, certify that:

1.   I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB of Manhattan
     Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the "Registrant");

2.   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of
     a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
     statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
     were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
     report;

3.   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
     information included in this report, fairly present in all material
     respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of
     the Registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.   The Registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for
     establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
     in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Registrantand have:

     (a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
     disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
     ensure that material information relating to the Registrant, including its
     consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
     entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being
     prepared;

     (b) Evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's disclosure
     controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about
     the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end
     of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

     (c) Disclosed in this report any change in the Registrant'sinternal control
     over financial reporting that occurred during the Registrant'smost recent
     fiscal quarter (the Registrant'sfourth fiscal quarter in the case of an
     annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
     materially affect, the Registrant'sinternal control over financial
     reporting; and

5.   The Registrant'sother certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on
     our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to
     the Registrant'sauditors and the audit committee of the Registrant'sboard
     of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

     (a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
     operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably
     likely to adversely affect the Registrant'sability to record, process,
     summarize and report financial information; and

     (b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
     employees who have a significant role in the Registrant'sinternal control
     over financial reporting.

Date: August 14, 2003                    /s/ Leonard Firestone
                                         -------------------------------------
                                         Leonard Firestone
                                         President and Chief Executive Officer