Thank you very much Rhodium. Your knowledge never ceases to amaze me.
My question now is, could one use 3,4-Methylenedioxyphenyl-2-nitro-1-butene in place of 1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanone in the preparation of J?
Also, how is the iron and acid reduction of the appropriate nitrostyrene carried out?
Shulgin writes:"the Efforts to prepare this ketone (I'm assuming 1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanone) by the iron and acid reduction of the appropriate nitrostyrene (1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-nitro-1-butene, mp 64-65 °C) were thwarted by the consistently unsatisfactory yield of the precursor from the reaction between piperonal and 1-nitropropane"