AMPHETAMINES METHAMPHETAMINES FROM BROMOSAFROLE PHENYLISOPROPYLBROMIDE

With bromo or iodo compound in hand it is time to quit and turn one s self over to the proper authorities. Wait There are a few who wouid continue. Most likeiy in the following manner. 

The best azide to use these days is sodium azide (NaNs). It is inexpensive and unwatched. All azides have the potential to explode upon degradation and are toxic to breathe. The methods 

The setup used is the one pictured in fig. 9 except there is no ice bath tray. In the reaction flask is stirred a solution of 30g NaNa in 400mL ethanol (Everclear is perfectly ok) or propanol (chemist s choice) and 80mL dH20. 120g of bromo-safrole or 80g 

A much greater yield can be had if the chemist uses carbitol as a solvent instead of propanol [62]. Carbitol is a really hazardous solvent and should not be breathed or placed on one s skin. The reaction proceeds exactly as before except that after 24 hours of reflux and cooling the mixture is slowly poured into 1500mL ice cold dH20. The upper solvent layer is separated and the aqueous layer extracted with 200mL ether which is then combined with that upper solvent layer. The combined solvent portions are vacuum distilled to afford safrole-azide (or phenylisopropyi-azide for amphetamine) with the yield rising to 70%. 

A newer and equally effective way of swapping azides with halides (bromines or iodines) is in the use of phase transfer catalysts [68]. Strike wouldn t expect an underground chemist to purchase the exotic catalyst Aliquat 336 which the investigators in this reference used to get yields approaching 100% but an alternative catalyst of 

---