Post 470733 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=8621.msg47073300#msg47073300)
(weaz1dls: "HCl", Stimulants)P.S. When doing the RP/I2 reaction, it would be best to put in the p-fed with iodine, and then add the RP, with the min. of water, if no water at first is possible that would be best, but swig has never tried. You should not make the HI first.
Well i guess this statement is based on hands on experience right? Cause, if its not then maybe you should read some of the post by some of the respected bees namely WizardX.
https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/meth.hi-p.html (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/meth.hi-p.html)
Post 415909 (missing)
(Rhodium: "Red Phosphorous isn't a catalyst!", Stimulants)Post 403712 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=7740.msg40371200#msg40371200)
(Rhodium: "more pathways", Stimulants)How do you know that [HCl] did not hinder you[r] reaction[?] Your yields might have been better if the HCl was not present on the RP. There is know way to know.
If a little HCl was a hindrance to the HI reduction, one should find that pseudo HCl did not react as well as freebase pseudo does. For a time I was of the opinion that since the freebase pseudo would become pseudo HI in an HI environment, and since HI would not be an impediment to the HI reduction, the absence of the HCl must explain why I obtained higher yields with freebase pseudo than I did with pseudo HCl. I kept that opinon for the better part of a year, until a new extraction technique resulted in really clean pseudo HCl from the pills used as the source. With the long wet red phosphorous reflux, and again with the phosphorous acid reflux I obtained yields using HCl as good as those I achieved with the freebase. This experience convinced me that it was the cleanliness of the pseudoephedrine that made the difference in yields, not whether the freebase or salt form was used. The molar yield was virtually the same with either the freebase or the salt form.
That suggests to me that HCl is not an impediment to the HI reduction. (Then again, this observation might mean nothing to this debate. I don't know, I am just providing fodder from my experience for the chemistry-educated to discuss.) :)