From:Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences vol.69(10)p.192-5(1980)by Ulrich Braun et.al.
To a soln. of 25 g. methylamine hydrochloride in 110 ml. methanol were added 6.6 g. of piperonylacetone and then 3.0 g. sodium cynoborohydride. The mixture was stirred at room temp., and concentrated hydrochloric acid was added as required to maintain the pH to neutrality. The reaction was copmplete in 36 hours. Following addition to one liter water containing 5 ml. of conc. HCL, the reaction mixture was extracted twice with 150 ml. of methylene chloride (discarded), made basic with 25% sodium hydroxide, and reextracted with 3 X 150 ml. of methylene chloride. The extracts were pooled, and the solvent removed in vacuum.
Distillation of the residue oil (8.4 g.) at 0.40 mm mercury yielded 6.1 g. of product as a viscous oil, b.p. 100-110 degrees. This product was dissolved in 60 ml. of isopropanol and acidified with conc. HCL (titration end point determined with external damp universal pH paper), and an equal volumn of ether was added. There was a spontaneous crystallization of the product as a white solid. It was removed by filtration and washed first with isopropanol-ether and finally with ether alone, giving 6.2 g. of the air-dried product (74% yield), m.p.151-152 degrees.
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