Szyska

Fig. 15.13. Aerial photo of the overall plant phase I (May 27,1991). (Reprinted from A. Szyska, Demonstration Plant, Neunburg vorm Wald, Germany, to Investigate and Test Solar-Hydrogen Technology, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 17(7), 1992 with permission from A. Szyszka.)...

Slotta and Heller (109, 110) prepared their starting material, viz., trimethoxyphenylpropionic acid by condensation of the substituted benzaldehyde with malonic acid and reduction of the resulting cinnamic acid. Mescaline was then obtained by Hofmann degradation of the trimethoxyphenlypropionamide. Kindler and Peschke (103) synthesized very pure, crystallized mescaline by condensation of 3 4 5-trimethoxy-benzaldehyde with potassium cyanide, acetylation, and catalytic reduction to the amine. Slotta and Szyska (111, 112) improved Spath s first synthesis, obtaining mescaline directly by the electrolytic reduction of w-nitrotrimethoxystyrene. Hahn and Wassmuth (113, 114) started from elemicine and first prepared trimethoxyphenylacetaldehyde by ozonization. The oxime was then reduced to mescaline. Kindler (115) and Kindler and Peschke (38, 103) improved the catalytic reduction of w-nitrostyrenes to the corresponding phenethylamines. Hahn and Rumpf (116) described the preparation of mescaline by reduction of w-nitrotrimethoxystyrene with Adam s catalyst. A review has been published by Jensch (117). 

Several isomers of mescaline as well as mescaline-like compounds have been synthesized by Jansen (118-120) Slotta and Heller (110) Slotta and Szyska (111, 112) Slotta and Muller (121) Grace (122) Iwamoto and Hartung (123), and Hey (124). None of these compounds cause the euphoric state produced by mescaline. 

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