Working on article for Drink and Drug News - PMK Glycidate and the Rise of 'Super Strength' MDMA Tablets

[AlsoTapered]

There's no reasonable way to do so without α-methyl. You need α-methylcinnamic acid to make a ketone. Alternatively, those glycidates can be made from benzaldehyde and piperonal by Darzens condensation.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frank-Hauser/publication/335523256/figure/fig1/AS:942006880702464@1601603350386/Chemical-structures-of-the-amphetamine-pre-precursors-APAAN-APAA-MAPA-and-2Me3Ph.png

( https://www.researchgate.net/public...ospective_search_in_German_profiling_database )

The link you give shows the glycidic acid rearranging to PMK.

PMK ethyl glycidate: Synthesis and Application_Chemicalbook

Above is how the glycidate can be produced from the ethyl cinnamate.

 

[realgar]

The link you give shows the glycidic acid rearranging to PMK.

PMK ethyl glycidate: Synthesis and Application_Chemicalbook

Above is how the glycidate can be produced from the ethyl cinnamate.

The synthetic scheme you provided is correct without a doubt. You just cannot see the (pretty obvious) difference between cinnamate PhCH=CHCO₂R and α-methylcinnamate PhCH=C(CH₃)CO₂R.

 

[vash445]

The synthetic scheme you provided is correct without a doubt. You just cannot see the (pretty obvious) difference between cinnamate PhCH=CHCO₂R and α-methylcinnamate PhCH=C(CH₃)CO₂R.

That took me WAYYY to long... even being colorcoded

alpha-Methylcinnamic acid
Linear Formula:
C6H5CH=C(CH3)COOH

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/aldrich/m35606

Synonym(s):
trans-3-Phenylacrylic acid, Cinnamic acid
Linear Formula:
C6H5CH=CHCOOH

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/aldrich/w228818

 

[snmfmy]

It's hard to see how you would get to MDMA via PMK glycidate without losing chiral information. I bet you could get an article in JACS for something like that!

MDP2P is an achiral ketone, regardless of how you get there.

Reaction is going to produce 50/50 racemic MDMA, Unless an asymmetrical ligand can be used during the methylamine reaction.

Probably way too hard, and a waste of time.

It's worth noting that PMK glycidate salts/esters are now the most common pre-precursor to MD(x)A since they can be hydrolized to PMK.

BUT more interestingly, PMK glycidates aren't made from PMK. They are made from 3,4-methylenedioxy cinnamic acid by way of an ester. It's found naturally in a number of plants. None of them controlled.

Plain cinnamic acid could be converted to BMK via the glycidate.

In an effort to control the flow of precursors, chemists have realized that many previously ignored natural sources are viable.

The citations I found say PMK-GLY is made from PIPERONAL.

PMK ethyl glycidate: Synthesis and Application_Chemicalbook

PMK ethyl glycidate can be used as intermediate in organic synthesis.

m.chemicalbook.com

 

[S.J.B.]

The citations I found say PMK-GLY is made from PIPERONAL.

PMK ethyl glycidate: Synthesis and Application_Chemicalbook

PMK ethyl glycidate can be used as intermediate in organic synthesis.

m.chemicalbook.com

This is indeed how it's being made, via the Darzens reaction. Not from an obscure cinnamic acid derivative.

 

[Rectify]

Super Duds more like it.