Hi everyone. I'm not a newbie at chemist, although be a newbie here in the Forum, but not an Expert also. So I ask any of the Experts here to make a write up about the reduction of methcathinone to meth, getting rid of the carbonyl group by reducing it to methylene group. I have searched across the net and across BB Expert and never saw any article, thread or comment on this. The closer I've got is the reduction of ephedrine to meth, like in this topic. I'm working nowadays on 4MMC and methcathinone synthesis starting from 4-methyl propiophenone and propiophenone by bromination with HBR and H2O2 and further methylamination with CH3NH2 40% aquous in ethyl acetate, following recipes I've found here in BB Expert and my work were plenty sucesssfull until now. I think this route is easier for me since I have a good raw material supply. As a result I have on stock almost a kilo of pure 4MMC hydrochloride and bearing half a kilo of methcathinone hydrochloride. I think it's not interesting for me reducing methcathinone hydrochloride to racemic ephedrine hydrochloride with NABH4 in ethanol like here:
https://bbforum.org/en/threads/synthesis-of-ephedrine-hydrochloride-and-chemical-analysis.9537/. In theory, hydriodic acid generated in situ by H3PO2 and I2 reaction described here in this thread are able to get rid of the methcathinone carbonyl group resulting in Meth. Since HI can reduce OH group at ephedrine molecule to H, the fact the carbonyl group present at methcathinone molecule is prone to lose itself with spontaneous replacing by an OH group, due to the instability of methcathinone free base, generating pseudo ephedrine, (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methcathinone), and the well know hability of Hydrazine to get rid of the ketone group, replacing it by H by heating with a strong base like KOH in ethylene glycol, two theoretical ways to reduce methcathinone to meth is on the table. I want to discuss with the Experts here about the feasibility of methcathinone reduction with HI generated in situ by H3PO2 and I2 reaction and with hydrazine hydrate heating with strong base in ethylene glycol.
I - Would be the same recipe reducing ephedrine to meth discussed here? What about the proportionality between HI and the substrate replacing C-OH by C=O reduction? would be the same molar equivalence or more HI is necessary to do the job? what about the reflux temperature of the solution? and what about the time of reflux?
II - The hydrazine reduction of methcathinone to meth (
Wolff–Kishner reduction) will afect the methylamino group? is it necessary to BOC protect this amino group? I've already read articles that claims yes but exist literature about it saying isn't necessary at all. Is it possible hydrazine to react with this methylamino group creating undesirable byproducts if no BOC protection is apllyed?
Surprisiling almost no data abouth methcathinone reduction to meth exists anywhere, what is a shame that force us only to especulate theoretically. Could any Expert here on this Forum contribute to elucidate this chalenge?!
