Oh and as far as pseudoephedrine/ephedrine biosynthesis goes, ordinary Saccharomyces cerevesiae (bog standard yeast) has been used clandestinely for biosynthesis of L-PAC (phenylacetylcarbinol) and then reductive processing after extraction, using benzaldehyde as the substrate. And benzaldehyde can be had from toluene, there are routes AFAIK using manganese dioxide, although can't claim to be familiar with those, given the feasibility of preparing chromyl chloride and using the Etard reaction (lol what a name for a rxn usable for making speed...'etard' reaction
That is quite hilarious)
And for the chromyl chloride is easily preparable from dry, concentrated sulfuric acid, via addition of the appropriate stoichiometric quantity of a dichromate salt and table salt, followed by distillation at around 120 'C. Although an inert solvent is required, to use this usually very, very violent and powerful oxidizing agent, it likes to set things on fire, such as most organic solvents, DCM, chloroform, carbon tet being ideal for running the Etard. Not that I myself need to, last time I made any CrO2Cl2 it was more for fun, since I have analytical grade benzaldehyde, several liters, plus nitroethane etc. and really don't need to go so far as to oxidize toluene to get some benz. But if I wanted to, I could certainly do it.
(CrO2Cl2, chromyl chloride is a real violent fucker of an oxidizer, sets organics ablaze along with plenty of inorganics. Its an orange/reddish, distillable, volatile, water-sensitive [violent hydrolytic reaction that kicks off a ton of acidic fumes] liquid that looks like bromine somewhat, and is a bit of an escape artist like Br2 and not to mention a bit of an ornery customer, but still, facile synth and it works)
And genius? lol. I don't know about that. I'm just an autie-didact
(sorry, bad pun. Autistic, autodidact. Mixture of the two, thats what you get) A spazz-tech with a serious data addiction. I just can't help myself. I like building stuff, I have a thing for organic and inorganic chemistry, and for hacking equipment. Its fun. Hell, its like a drug to me. Its been that way since I first taught myself to read with Phillips et. al, mycology textbook at 4yo according to my grandparents on my mother's side.
Then, went into mycology and botany studies. Never really got much science ed at school. First secondary didn't even HAVE a lab. The thought makes me sick to my stomach
didn't even do exams. Classic autism school. Second secondary school was an aspie specialist one, they did have a lab, but it didn't come close to surpassing my own at home. Aside from the fume hood. That and some connections for a few reagents that are hard to get hold of, or were then, like red P in kg quantities, white phosphorus, bulk sodium and potassium metal (easy to DIY via metallothermic, nonelectrolytic reduction of NaOH etc. with magnesium dust, ground under inert gas after thermiting it in a closed crucible to avoid vaporizing off the alkali metal, then boiling the powdered oxide slag/alkali metal fused composite cement like material under 1,4-dioxane, produced similarly to the diethyl ether synthesis using conc. H2SO4 (even drain cleaner grade) and ethylene glycol (although Williamson ether synthesis using 1,2-diiodoethane or 1,2-dibromoethane and the deprotonated form of the glycol should work, never tried it, but there is plenty polymeric shit forms when doing the sulfuric route for the dioxane assuming one doesn't want to buy it)
And bromination ought to be more cost efficient given the weight and cost of iodine.
