Well there seems to have been a dent in the probability distribution of spacetime at about 1948 somewhere in the USA, making certain chemicalreactions run different. Just what happens in quantum mechanics
After my best of knowledge nobody has been able to repeat this, not with normal Rayney Nickel at least (W6-7 is something else, but we know those are out of reach for us).
Anybody working with Rayney Nickel as we know it and in special those writing books (like the ORGANIKUM, but what do they know?) seemed to have been committed to explicitely proclaim that with less then 50atms you are pretty fucked in making Amphetamine by P2P-ammonia-Rayney.
But I don't give a fuck, who wants may follow your suggestion and pay the price. Will not be the first ones
regards
/ORG
Reaction conditions vary greatly when using Raney Nickel. In the simplest terms, when hydrogen is absorbed (pressure decrease) and when the absorption ceases, you know catalytic hydrogenation has occurred.
Evolution of Titanium(IV) Alkoxides and Raney Nickel for Asymmetric Reductive Amination of Prochiral Aliphatic Ketones.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ol051909vThe Preparation of Raney Nickel Catalysts and their Use Under Conditions Comparable with Those for Platinum and Palladium Catalysts. (1948)
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja01182a080CATALYST, RANEY NICKEL, W-6 (Adkins and Billica, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 70, 695 (1948).
http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/orgsyn/prepContent.asp?prep=cv3p0176CATALYST, RANEY NICKEL, W-2.
http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/prep.asp?prep=CV3P0181
To a solution of 41.6 g. (0.25 mole) of purified 2,3-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (Note 1) in 150 ml. of 95% ethanol is added 23.4 g. (0.75 mole) of methylamine in 50 to 75 ml. of water (Note 2). The mixture is heated to boiling and placed in a 500-ml. heavywalled bottle (Note 3), and 6 g. of Raney nickel catalyst is added (Note 4). The bottle is connected to a low-pressure hydrogenation apparatus,2 the system is flushed with hydrogen, and the mixture is shaken with hydrogen at an initial pressure of 45 lb. until 0.25 mole of hydrogen is absorbed and the absorption ceases (Note 5).
(Note 5) The time required depends upon the activity of the catalyst and the temperature of reaction. The submitters reported that 90–95% of the calculated amount of hydrogen was taken up in 90 minutes at 70° whereas 20 hours was required at room temperature. The checkers found the reaction to be complete after 36 to 41 minutes, the temperature dropping during the period from 70° to 30° since no provision was made for heating. When the whole hydrogenation was carried out at room temperature the period of reaction was 90 minutes with the W-6 Raney nickel catalyst.
http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/prep.asp?prep=CV4P0603
a-Phenylethylamine has been prepared by reducing acetophenone with hydrogen at high pressures (3500-5000 PSI) over nickel catalysts in the presence of liquid ammonia; [1,2]
...with hydrogen at low pressures over a nickel catalyst in the presence of ammonia-saturated ethanol;[3]
http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/prep.asp?prep=CV3P0717