---

Here's a question for you: If styrene/vinylbenzene/phenylethene were subjected to the Ritter Reaction with acetonitrile, what would the product be?

---

According to Example XXI in US 2,573,673 (Post 262243 (lugh: "Re: Graf-Ritter rxn: allylbenzenes to amph's directly", Novel Discourse))
 N-(alpha-phenyl ethyl) acetamide is obtained in 40% yield

---

Would it be N-acetyl-phenethylamine? Or would it be N-acetyl-1-methylbenzylamine?

---

These are two different names for the same compound, thus you would have both

One mol each of stryene and acetonitrile were dissolved in 200 ml of glacial acetic acid and the resulting solution was added to 500 ml of glacial acetic acid containing in solution one mol of benzene suflonic acid. The resulting solution was allowed to stand several hours or overnight at room temperture. The batch was then added to three or four times its volume of water. The product, N-(alpha-phenyl ethyl) acetamide, was preciptated as a heavy, viscous oil, from which it was removed by distillation in vacuo after neutralization and drying. The distilled product was recrystallized from ligroin and melted at 71-72° C. Yield, 40% of the theoretical amount.

Note that sulfuric acid wasn't used, undoubtedly because of polymerization Methane sulfonic acid may produce better yields, as may optimzation of the procedure.

---

These are two different names for the same compound, thus you would have both.

---

Actually, this is not what I implied. One is the structure akin to phenethylamine, the drug, and the other, is a benzylamine.

I see this procedure produces the benzylamine, the undesired compound, sigh. Damn...

Thank you lugh for your answer, it is most informative.

                                                 PrimoPyro