The current MMA (3-methoxy-4-methyl-amphetamine) route is a tad long for my lazy ass.
There are really two ways to go from tolualdehyde.
1: Swamp with AlCl3 and brominate in ~45% yield. Swap with sodium methoxide to yield methoxymethylBA (somewhat easy, but very low yielding)
2: Nitrate in high yield, reduce to amine, do a sandmeyer to get the diazotiated intermediate. Hydrolyze and methylate... Yeilds are ok, but its a loooong procedure.
Anything wrong with doing the sandmeyer, and plunking the N2+ complex directly into some methanolic sodiummethoxide? Shouldnt this know nitrogen of, leaving nothing but methoxylated compounds and some good old sodium chloride?
The bromination of the aldehyde can be done in higher yields using NBS, FeCl3 in CH3CN. I have the details if you would like, deactivated groups are brominated in high yields (90%+).
Not sure on the yields for the Methoxide substitution, how low are the yields?
The current MMA (3-methoxy-4-methyl-amphetamine) route is a tad long for my lazy ass.
There are really two ways to go from tolualdehyde.
1: Swamp with AlCl3 and brominate in ~45% yield. Swap with sodium methoxide to yield methoxymethylBA (somewhat easy, but very low yielding)
2: Nitrate in high yield, reduce to amine, do a sandmeyer to get the diazotiated intermediate. Hydrolyze and methylate... Yeilds are ok, but its a loooong procedure.
Anything wrong with doing the sandmeyer, and plunking the N2+ complex directly into some methanolic sodiummethoxide? Shouldnt this know nitrogen of, leaving nothing but methoxylated compounds and some good old sodium chloride?