From: [an 39459] at [anon.penet.fi] (Eyes)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: Methcathinone Synthesis (one of 'em anyway)
Date: 26 Dec 93 12:56:34 GMT



Back by popular demand:


     A solution composed of 0.99g of sodium dichromate and 1.33g concentrated
sulfuric acid dissolved in 4.46cc of water is added slowly, with
stirring, to 1.65g of ephedrine dissolved in 4.7cc of water and 0.55cc
of concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature.
The mix is stirred at room temperature fro 4 to 6 hours and then made
alkaline with sodium hydroxide solution.
The aqueous mixture is extracted with two volumes of chloroform and
then with two volumes of ether.  The organic extracts containing the
free-base of 1-a-methylaminopropiophenone are combined, treated with
an excess of dry hydrogen chloride and the solvents evaporated.  The
residual 1-a-methylaminopropiophenone is stirred with petroleum ether,
collected and purified by redissolving in ethanol and repricipitaing
with ether.

m.p. 182-184oC

1.  Zingel, K.Y., Dovensky, W.,Crossman,A. and Allen, A.
     *Ephedrone: 2-methylamino-1-phenylpropane-1-one*
      Journal of Forensic Sciences, v.36, no 3, May 1991, pp.915-920

2.  British Patent, 768,722  (1954)
  

Some others are to be found here:  Journal of the American Medical
Associaton  v269 no 19 p2508 yr1993; Pharmacol. Biochem. Behavior
26:547-5451, 1987 & 45:229-231, 1993


In the above synthesis a replacement of the chloroform and ether can
be made using pet ether. Acetone can be substituted in place of the
ether in the final recrystallization only use a small amount of water.
This synthesis is really so forgiving with so little sideline activity
that using the ethanol/ether combo at the end is really not neccesary
as water and acetone work quite well.  Limit the amount of water as
much as possible when forming the solution.

It has been reported that this is *a new and potent amphetamine-like
agent*.  I would say this is massively overstated.  In fact,  the
whole story on this stuff is slightly off to down-right wrong.  These
estimations on its alledged physical activity are off by a long shot.
It is NOT somewhere between cocaine and methamphetamine.  I would
place it somewhere between ephedrine and caffiene.  Guess that*s
what we deserve for letting lab rats test the stuff.

The stuff is schedule I and my opinion is that it doesn*t even merit
scheduling.  Some kinda media-hype driven panic overtook, no
overwhelmed, the fellas in Washington on this one.

One article states that the ED50 is 0.37mg/kg, placing it as *more
potent* than racemic cathinone or amphetamine, ED50=0.71mg/kg for the
two racemic items.  This was done on *amphetamine trained animals*.
The article is can be found in Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior
26,547-551, 1987. 

The preceeding rxn and refs were culled from previous posts in this
newsgroup.  For more info check out the ftp sites, there is plenty
of info floating about on the subject.







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