Route 1 [Nitroethane Bypass];
Benzaldehyde or substituted benzaldehyde with nitromethane in a Henry reaction producing beta-nitrostyrene[1]. b-Nitrostyrene can be selectively reduced with NaBH4 to 2-nitroethylbenzene[1], which upon treatment with DMSO, Sodium Nitrite and Acetic Acid affords phenylacetic acid[3]. Dry distillation with Lead (II)Acetate to give P2P[4], metyhylamine to the aldimine....
Route 2 [OTC Method];
There was a method that was being experimented with at WD, I dont know what happened to it but I remember Java had a PDF of some WD posts regarding oxidizing phenylalanine with TCA and base to produce the nitrile. I dont know if they knew how close they actually were? But it is definitely worth revisiting this if anyone is looking for experiments to do.[5]
Phenylalanine can be oxidized with trichloroisocyanuric acid and base to produce benzyl cyanide in 98% yield[6], which can be be treated with ethyl acetate and lithium ethoxide to produce P2P[7]. Ethyl acetate can be made from ethanol and acetic acid via Fischer esterification, lithium ethoxide is produced by opening a lithium battery and dissolving the lithium out of it in ethanol. Decarboxylation of phenylalanine produces phenethylamine, which can be oxidized with easily prepared nickel peroxide and potassium persulfate to the nitrile (Benzyl Cyanide)[8].
notes: Cyanide will be produced in the reaction above, but P2P is completely insoluble in water so should be thoroughly washed with water many times after being prepared. You really dont want any residual cyanide hanging about obviously, so make sure to really wash it well after preparing, then it would be very sensible to test the P2P with any of the methods contained here, with preference for the simple prussian blue test;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanide#Chemical_tests_for_cyanide
[1]http://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/345-meo-ns.html
[3]http://www.filefactory.com/file/b4a1b2e/n/000539103-nitropropene_nitrite.pdf
[4]http://www.lycaeum.org/rhodium/chemistry/p2p.paa-pb.html
[5]http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/files.php?pid=110598&aid=4207
[6]http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/files.php?pid=69963&aid=1539
[7]http://www.lycaeum.org/rhodium/chemistry/phenylacetone.html#benzylcyanide
[8]http://www.journalarchive.jst.go.jp/english/jnlabstract_en.php?cdjournal=bcsj1926&cdvol=63&noissue=1&startpage=301
Run number Substrate NiSO4 mol% Reaction time Product Yield
Benzaldehyde or substituted benzaldehyde with nitromethane in a Henry reaction producing beta-nitrostyrene[1]. b-Nitrostyrene can be selectively reduced with NaBH4 to 2-nitroethylbenzene[1], which upon treatment with DMSO, Sodium Nitrite and Acetic Acid affords phenylacetic acid[3]. Dry distillation with Lead (II)Acetate to give P2P[4], metyhylamine to the aldimine....
Route 2 [OTC Method];
There was a method that was being experimented with at WD, I dont know what happened to it but I remember Java had a PDF of some WD posts regarding oxidizing phenylalanine with TCA and base to produce the nitrile. I dont know if they knew how close they actually were? But it is definitely worth revisiting this if anyone is looking for experiments to do.[5]
Phenylalanine can be oxidized with trichloroisocyanuric acid and base to produce benzyl cyanide in 98% yield[6], which can be be treated with ethyl acetate and lithium ethoxide to produce P2P[7]. Ethyl acetate can be made from ethanol and acetic acid via Fischer esterification, lithium ethoxide is produced by opening a lithium battery and dissolving the lithium out of it in ethanol. Decarboxylation of phenylalanine produces phenethylamine, which can be oxidized with easily prepared nickel peroxide and potassium persulfate to the nitrile (Benzyl Cyanide)[8].
notes: Cyanide will be produced in the reaction above, but P2P is completely insoluble in water so should be thoroughly washed with water many times after being prepared. You really dont want any residual cyanide hanging about obviously, so make sure to really wash it well after preparing, then it would be very sensible to test the P2P with any of the methods contained here, with preference for the simple prussian blue test;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanide#Chemical_tests_for_cyanide
[1]http://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/345-meo-ns.html
[3]http://www.filefactory.com/file/b4a1b2e/n/000539103-nitropropene_nitrite.pdf
[4]http://www.lycaeum.org/rhodium/chemistry/p2p.paa-pb.html
[5]http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/files.php?pid=110598&aid=4207
[6]http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/files.php?pid=69963&aid=1539
[7]http://www.lycaeum.org/rhodium/chemistry/phenylacetone.html#benzylcyanide
[8]http://www.journalarchive.jst.go.jp/english/jnlabstract_en.php?cdjournal=bcsj1926&cdvol=63&noissue=1&startpage=301
Run number Substrate NiSO4 mol% Reaction time Product Yield