(Stranger / Eraser)
01-05-03 02:07
No 395481
(Rated as: good idea!)
Recently I was having some fun by reading http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/prep.asp?pr
I you scroll down to the discussion and have a look at the table you will see a number of examples were benzaldehydes and a benzyl bromide are reacted with various lithiated nitrosamines, yielding, in the case of the benzaldehydes, N-substituted alpha-hydroxyphenethylamines and, of benzyl bromide a N-substituted phenethylamine.
One of the most interesting reactions is where benzaldehyde is reacted with the lithiated nitroso-diethylamine, to give n-ethyl ephedrine.
Well, it looks to me that if one were to use benzyl bromide or piperonyl bromide in that reaction the product would be the n-ethylamphetamine.
Now, What I want to ask you people is: what if methylethylamine is used? Will the lithium atom attatch itself to the methyl or to the alpha carbon of the ethyl chain.
I guess you can see where I am getting at.
(Chief Bee)
01-05-03 03:36
No 395506
At thermodynamical equilibrium, the lithiation should preferentially take place at the alpha-position of the N-ethyl chain. Being secondary, the hydrogens in that position should be significantly more acidic than on the N-methyl.