MDMA from Methylone?

I was recently asked, if there was a way to turn Methylone into MDMA. I couldn´t give an answer, but find the whole thing quite interesting (at least theoretically).
You´d "only" have to remove the oxygene from the double binding, but it´s this "only" I have problems with. I have had some ideas for that, but most of them are so complex, that I guess they would rather destroy the molecule than transforming it.
Does anyone have an idea?

 

The same as MDMA, only that there´s an extra oxygene in a double binding at one of the carbons (the first from the ring).

 

I just found a pic on erowid:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/show_molecule.php?i=methylone/methylone_2d.gif

 

I've thought the exact same thought! Won't try either methylone or MDMA, though!

 

Yes, that´s the point where the problem begins... a reduction might seperate the amine from the ring...

 

"only" indeed, this ones kinda fishin for a chem engineer cause even if you go proper and can get saffrole isomerized it still takes a pretty proper chemical knowhow to pump out some straight mdma, which I havent even seen since I visited vancouver =(, best of luck though

 

Thanks!
I have to make this clear: I´m not planning to do any chemical labwork! I was asked by a good friend (we do some RCs together from time to time) how "easy" it would be, to do this "simple" transformation. I had the idea of an ordinary reduction at once, but then thought "stop, this couldn´t work". I couldn´t get the question out of my head, and after 2 almost sleepless nights, I posted the problem here, to see, if people with more chemical knowledge would have an answer.

 

Strong acids attack the MD ring, so RP/I is out, maybe the birch? But this is a beta-ketone, not a beta-hydroxy, so I have serious doughts a simple reduction would work. In any case, methylone is almost as good (and almost as expensive) as MDMA, this would be a waste of time and money.

 

I met a doctor of chemistry on the Basel symposium. He thinks, that some zinc acids might do the job...

 

I can't help wondering if zinc might have broader applications. Largely unexplored by underground chemists, to my knowledge.

 

Hmm, dunno.

I'd really like to see how your Dr. friend proposes to do the synthesis/transformation with "zinc acids". I'd also be interested in the mechanism behind it. If you ever do find out, please post here as i'm interested in the name of science!

 

The doctor he's talking about was met at a symposium somewhere in europe a couple weeks ago about lsd. Hoffman was there too...

 

Ok, neat...I would seriously like to know the mechanism, i wasn't being sarcastic lol.

 

yea I figured you weren't, just throwing that out there so you know he's not some fuckbag pulling statements out of his ass.

 

I just happened to talk to that guy on the phone... seems that I´ve understood parts of his idea wrong, but he promised me to mail me a complete synth instruction until next weekend...

 

Finally, I met these guys again, a couple of weeks ago.


They told me to put the methylone in a small glass and drop zinc HCl on it, drop by drop, just the amount that is needed to solve all the methylone. Then put it into an oven at approx. 110°C for 10 mins. (to get the reaction started). Take it back to room temperature for 1 hour, then add some destilled H2O and then put it in the fridge. After another hour let the soultion stand at room temperature until all liquid has evaporated. The result should be >99% pure MDMA.

I must say, I haven´t tried this yet, so I don´t know, if it really works. These people told me that it at least theoretically should... (and I trust them!)

 

*scratches head*
so these guys think that catalytic hydrogenation will transform the methcathinone moeity into a methamphetamine??

umm....


you'd have to remove the O from the benzylic carbon before hydrogenating, otherwise you'll just reduce a double-bond and create an alcohol. perhaps ZnCl2 with NaBH4 would work

 

Let us know if it does work Flow, sounds too easy to be true though

 

how do you remove the O from H2O? electricity might do it.

 

Horay for bringing back old posts...

I was searching online for directions on converting Methylone to MDMA and this was the first thing that came up.

Has anybody tried the Zinc HCl method yet? Is the world still clueless as to how to convert Methylone into MDMA?