Here is the full paper for those interested:
An unusual clandestine laboratory synthesis of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA)
Terry A. Dal Cason, Charlotte A. Corbetta, Peter K. Poolea, James A. de Hasethb, David K. Gouldthorpec
Forensic Sci. Int. (2012),
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.10.002
Abstract
An unknown compound from a putative clandestine laboratory was analyzed by GC–MS, GC-IRD, IR (ATR), and NMR and found to be ?-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyphenylpropionamide (MMDPPA), an unusual precursor for the synthesis of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), a Schedule I controlled substance. A portion of this precursor was subjected to the Hofmann Degradation (i.e., Hofmann Rearrangement) reaction using a sodium hypochlorite solution (bleach) to produce the expected compound, MDA. When excess hypochlorite was used in the reaction, a second, unexpected, compound was formed. Use of the listed instrumentation identified the new material as 2-chloro-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine, a compound not previously identified in the forensic literature.