I found a synthesis for this compound the other day in an old organic preparations book.. It is the synthsis of
N-methylhydroxylamine from nitromethane and zinc. I can post it later if anybody is interested. So can n-methylhydroxylamine be used as a direct replacment for hydroxylamine in teh oxime formation?
From: High-yielding synthesis of MDA from MDP2P
via Formation of the Oxime Followed by Reduction Step 1. Formation of the oxime.
5.4g sodium acetate trihydrate and 4ml water was combined in a 50ml round-bottomed flask. The mixture was heated gently with stirring until the acetate was in solution. 20 ml MeOH was added followed with 4.5g MDP2P. To this there was added 2.3g hydroxylamine hydrochloride and the mixture was refluxed with stirring for 1.5h. After this period 10ml water was added and the heating source was removed and the mixture was allowed to cool in a waterbath with the stirring continued. After returning to room temp the flask was put in the freezer for an hour or so. The white crystalline material was filtered and washed with 50ml water (the filtrate may turn cloudy as small amounts of product crystallizes). The product was dried over magnesium perchlorate to constant weight.
Yield: 4.5g (92%), mp 84-85°C. Lit: 84-87°C (H2O-EtOH)
The reference the book uses for the synth is: Beckman, Ann., 365, 205 (1909). J. Scheiber, Ann., 365, 225 (1909).