3,4,5-Trimethoxy-beta-nitrostyrene, to be specific. So it shouldn't be too hard to convert 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde (which is pretty available) to the nitrostyrene with nitromethane but I'm not sure about the best way to go about doing the hard part. OK so I know you could hydrogenate or reduce with NaBH4, but I don't think that you would reduce the NO2 with NaBH4, just the double bond, and you could hydrogenate with a strong catalyst, but obviously that's not feasible for the DIY chemist. You could also reduce with LAH, but that is, again, not feasible for the DIY chemist. I have seen two more realistic methods mentioned: -> you have the aluminum amalgam method, discussed here: https://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/nitrostyrene.reduction.alhg.html It seems like an awesome idea, but apparently the reaction can be quite violent, and I also worry about purification and removal of the Hg. -> and then there's electrolytic reduction with lead peroxide: https://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/nitrostyrene.reduction.alhg.html This seems really cool and I would be a happy camper if I could actually build an apparatus like that, but I don't think it's very feasible either. What do you think about aluminum amalgam Hg(No3)2 reduction of 3,4,5-TMeO-B-nitrostyrene? I feel like the reaction shouldn't be that difficult, but the removal of the mercury worries me. Do any of you know of any other ways to reduce the nitrostyrene, or any feasible 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetonitrile syntheses?
http://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/2cb.beaker.html i know you are not looking for information on 2cb synth, but it describes the reduction of a similar benzaldehyde using sodium borohydride so it may be worth something
NaBH4 won't reduce it fully. It reduces the C=C, but it won't reduce the nitro group. Like I said, you still end up having to do catalytic hydrogenation. Apparently LiAlH4 is a good enough reducing agent, LAH is some pretty serious shit. If you want to use sodium borohydride and catalytic hydrogenation to make your phenethylamine then you need one of these babies:
