1-ephedrin

METHOD 2 Speed chemists have used hydroiodic acid (HI) for years to reduce ephedrine to meth. So when the government placed HI on the restricted list, speed chemists took to making the HI themselves. One of the ways they used was to make Hi in DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide, a common solvent) by reacting Nal or Kl with sulfuric acid. This a standard way to make both HBr or Hi in water (see the Chemicals section of this book) except these speed chemists were using the non-aqueous solvent DMSO instead of water. 

With Phenylpropanolamine at hand (or ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine) one would next need to reduce that alpha carbon OH group to get the final amine. Strike understands that the current favorite methods for doing this involve lithium and amine. HI and red P or other iodine related protocols. So when you meth heads ruin every aspect of those methods as well, what will you do then The following are a couple of OH reduction methods (Strike thinks) that have applicable use [99-100]. 

Progress has been made toward enantioselective and highly regioselective Michael type alkylations of 2-cyclohexen-l -one using alkylcuprates with chiral auxiliary ligands, e. g., anions of either enantiomer of N-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]ephedrine (E. J. Corey, 1986), of (S)-2-(methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine (from L-proline R. K. EHeter, 1987) or of chiramt (= (R,R)-N-(l-phenylethyl)-7-[(l-phenylethyl)iinino]-l,3,5-cycloheptatrien-l-amine, a chiral aminotro-ponimine G. M. Villacorta, 1988). Enantioselectivities of up to 95% have been reported. 

This experiment describes the quantitative analysis of the asthma medication Quadrinal for the active ingredients theophylline, salicylic acid, phenobarbital, ephedrine HGl, and potassium iodide. Separations are carried out using a Gi8 column with a mobile phase of 19% v/v acetonitrile, 80% v/v water, and 1% acetic acid. A small amount of triethylamine (0.03% v/v) is included to ensure the elution of ephedrine HGl. A UV detector set to 254 nm is used to record the chromatogram. 

Propiophenone. Propiophenone [93-55-0] (ethyl phenyl ketone) is a colorless Hquid with a flowery odor. It can be prepared by the Friedel-Crafts reaction of benzene and propionyl chloride in the presence of aluminum chloride (346), or by the catalytic reaction of benzoic acid and propionic acid in the presence of water (347). Propiophenone is commercially available (348), and is sold in Japan at 2700 Y/kg (349). It is used in the production of ephedrine, as a fragrance enhancer, and as a polymerization sensitizer. 

In this thiamine pyrophosphate-mediated process, ben2aldehyde (29), added to fermenting yeast, reacts with acetaldehyde (qv) (30), generated from glucose by the biocatalyst, to yield (R)-l-phen5l-l-hydroxy-2-propanone (31). The en2ymatically induced chiral center of (31) helps in the asymmetric reductive (chemical) condensation with methylamine to yield (lR,23)-ephedrine [299-42-3] (32). Substituted ben2aldehyde derivatives react in the same manner (80). 

The modern usage of P2" go Asts for the treatment of asthma dates to 1903 when the effect of injected epinephrine [51-43-4] (adrenaline) C2H23NO2, (1 R = CH3) was investigated (see Epinephrine and norepinephrine) (33). As in some other modem treatments, eg, xanthines and anticholinergics, the roots of P2" go Ast therapy for asthma can be found in historical records which document the use of herbal extracts containing ephedrine [299-42-3] C qH NO, (2) as bronchodilators. Epinephrine and ephedrine are stmcturaHy related to the catecholamine norepinephrine [51-41-2] CgH NO, (1, R = H), a neurotransmitter of the adrenergic nervous system (see Neuroregulators). 

Ephedrine, which is not a catecholamine, has weak oral activity as a bronchodilator and although it has some direct action at adrenergic receptors, its predominant mode of action is by displacing norepinephrine from storage vesicules. 2"Agonists which are in use or are under investigation are the result of quests for improved selectivity, retention of potency, oral activity, and longer duration of action. 

Because of the widespread nature of adrenoceptors, nonselective P-agonists can produce many undesirable side effects. Therefore, before adrenergic agonists could become widely used in the treatment of asthma, some selectivity in action was needed. Whereas epinephrine and ephedrine have significant agonist activity at both a and P adrenoceptors, isoproterenol is a selective agonist at the P receptor (39). However, isoproterenol does not distinguish between the P and receptors and it is not active orally. 

All stated pK values in this book are for data in dilute aqueous solutions unless otherwise stated, although the dielectric constants, ionic strengths of the solutions and the method of measurement, e.g. potentiometric, spectrophotometric etc, are not given. Estimated values are also for dilute aqueous solutions whether or not the material is soluble enough in water. Generally the more dilute the solution the closer is the pK to the real thermodynamic value. The pK in mixed aqueous solvents can vary considerably with the relative concentrations and with the nature of the solvents. For example the pK values for V-benzylpenicillin are 2.76 and 4.84 in H2O and H20/EtOH (20 80) respectively the pK values for (-)-ephedrine are 9.58 and 8.84 in H2O and H20/Me0CH2CH20H (20 80) respectively and for cyclopentylamine the pK values are 10.65 and 4.05 in H2O and H20/EtOH (50 50) respectively. pK values in acetic acid or aqueous acetic acid are generally lower than in H2O. 

The hydroxy acid A was resolved with (+)-ephedrine and converted to optically active and PGEj (Ref. 2). 

Triethanolamine ephedrine, elTortil stabilization and estnol as dansyl >100 min denvatives... 

These results indicate that in these new ester mydriatics, the structural factors, which influence the development of this type of pharmacological action are similar to those made evident by the chemical investigations of Jowett and Pyman and the pharmacological work of Marshall, Dale, Laidlaw and Cushny on the tropeines. The nature of the basic component is obviously important since mydriasis is produced by simple bases such as ephedrine. As regards the nature of the esterifying acid, Jowett and Pyman drew the following conclusions — ... 

According to Camus, hordenine is of low toxicity, but in large doses it causes death by arrest of respiration. It is less active than adrenaline but analogous in its action, resembling ephedrine rather than adrenaline. Barger and Dale found that the methiodide had a marked nicotine-... 

The world war made all these sources of supply difficult of access and stimulated interest in the possibilities of local production. Examination of a number of American species of ephedra had already shown them to be devoid of alkaloids, except for the S. American species E. andina, in which Chavezt found ephedrine, and in the United States attention has been given to the experimental cultivation of imported species, notably E. sinica and E. gerardiana a Moroccan type, E. alenda, was found to contain only ). In Australia experimental cultivation of the Indian species E. gerardiana, E. intermedia and E. nebrodensis has been tried and preliminary yields of 1-35, 1-OS and 0-98 per cent, of total alkaloids respectively have been recorded. In Russia, E. equisetina and E. intermedia are available and are considered to be worth exploitation. In Italy various local species have been found to contain mainly i -ephedrine and that in small amount, but better results are recorded for two species already referred to and which are available in Sardinia, viz. E. vulgaris Rich and E. nebrodensis. ... 

To avoid the difficulty of variation in alkaloidal content liable to occur in commercial Ephedra a proposal.has been made in India for the manufacture of a standardised extract representing 5 per cent, of the weight of the crude drug and containing 18 to 20 per cent, of the total alkaloids. Both in India and China experimental extraction of ephedrine has been started. ... 

The demand for ephedrine is now being met to an increasing extent by the synthetie produet. 

Ephedrine also oeeurs in the leaves of the yew tree [Taxus baccata) and in Sida rhombifolia Linn, whilst Stockman s cathine from Catha edulis Forsk has been shown by Wolfes to be d-nor- -ephedrine. Ghosh, Chopra and Dutt state that the bark of Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn. contains two alkaloids similar to ephedrine in pharmacological action. The more active of the two, moringinine, is amorphous the other is a liquid but jdelds a crystalline hydrochloride, C,H. HCl, m.p. 254-4°, + 1-8°, a picrate, m.p. 195°, and an aurichloride, m.p. 170-8°. 

Nagai s ephedrine was obtained from Ma-Huang and the same alkaloid, together with its stereoisomeride pseudoephednne ( -ephedrine), was isolated by Merck from the European species, E. helvetica C. A. Meyer. From commercial Ma-Huang Smith prepared two additional bases, 1-W-methylephedrine and nnr-d- -ephedrine. Nagai and Kanao added two more, viz., d-W-methyl- -ephedrine and Z-norephedrine, and... 

Chen, Stuart and Chen isolated benzylmethylamine (B. HCl, m.p. 180-5° aurichloride, m.p. 139-140°), while Chou and Mei obtained a volatile base, ephedine, CgHig02N2 [m.p. 76° or 87° (dry) B. HCl, m.p. 90° pierate, m.p. 190°]. From the European speeies Wolfes has also isolated Z-iV-methylephedrine and Z-norephedrine, and fromE. mono tachya, Spehr obtained a base C gH gON, monoelinie prisms, m.p. 112°, whieh is said to be physiologieally inaetive, and is generally known as ephedrine, Spehr. ... 

The total alkaloidal eontent of Ephedra varies widely, being influeneed by the speeies eolleeted and the seasonal and environmental eonditions, as has been shown by Read and by Chopra and their eolleagues. For speeially eolleeted material yields as high as 2- 56 per cent., of which 1- 8 per cent, is ephedrine, have been recorded, but about 1 per cent, of total alkaloids is not usually exceeded in the commercial product. 

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