The condensation of the aldehyde with nitromethane is the big problem. The reduction will work in almost kvant. yeald.
read Post 422844 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=9233.msg42284400#msg42284400)
(Bandil: "Verification of Bariums research", Methods Discourse)(the whole post) Barium makes the ethene in 92%. I'm sure that an 0,5L ether in an 2L flask will work.
Dont use a soxhlet !!!! use an modified soxlet as Shulgin does. Teknical it just an pressure-equalized addition funnel with an soxhlethfilter inside. Just as the cheef sayes
You don't want to add alot of styrene at once (as you will with an soxhlet) I'v once sean a 30g reduction explode with STP becourse the chemist did'nt know the diff. betwean an modified soxhlet and an ordinarye soxhlet.
This is how you can make mescaline the easy way (at least in my opinion):
1. Make the nitrostyrene from 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde and MeNO2 in GAA with cyclohexylamine a la Shulgin (http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/pihkal/pihkal096.shtml (http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/pihkal/pihkal096.shtml)
). This method really is very easy and yields are always near what Shulgin writes, even if you are a n00b.
2. Reduction of the nitrostyrene via Zn/HCl, as described in Post 245040 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=11784.msg24504000#msg24504000)
(Rhodium: "O Leminger's Phenethylamines - posted by Karel", Novel Discourse). Yield of mescaline should be around 50%, even for n00bs (see Post 400235 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=11784.msg40023500#msg40023500)
(GC_MS: "yield", Novel Discourse)).
3. Crystallization: dissolve the amine freebase in ethanol and neutralize with 50% H2SO4 (as in the Leminger document). Put the crystal mush in the fridge and filter it (vacuum) after a few hours. Recrystallize the mush from hot water and allow to cool it down slowly to get impressive translucent needles.
Bioassaying: If you have never tried mescaline, start with 200 mg (of the sulfate) for the first experiment, and 300 mg for the second. After that, you can take whatever you want ;) . Also, ingest the weighed amount in at least two times (with ca 30 min inbetween) to limit gastric protest.
Enjoy, you'll find it a most wonderful compound ;) .