SWIM once a long time ago when it still was legal tried a Zn/HCl reduction of 3,4,5-TMNS but something seems to have gone very wrong.
Nitrostyrene mixed with zinc were added to methanol and HCl over 2-3 hours, temperature slowly, slowly raising to 25-30 degrees. 50cl HCl was added, and after another hour more zinc was introduced to the heterogenous mix. This was let to stand with occassional stirring for 14 hours.
The zinc was filtered, and the filtrate was washed once with 100ml toluene. The methanol/HCl-solution was basified with NaOH and something preticipated (probably zinc oxide?), which made the solution very milky and a bit thick. The white preticipate did not dissolve and it was extracted three times with 100ml toluene.
Zinc oxide (or something) after addition of first ml base:
Milky liquid after addition of all base:
Toluene (after extraction) washed with 100ml water in separatory funnel:
Toluene was washed twice with 100ml water. Dried with anhydrous MgSO4, filtered and then gassed with HCl. A lot of crystals came out of solution, and were filtered. This was supposed to be mescaline, but after drying it was going to be recrystallised from 2-propanol. Crystals did not dissolve, 250ml of boiling IPA (and on waterbath) was added, and instead of dissolving it just made a fluffy mess (reminded me of the preticipate first seen when basifying the mixture).
Crystals coming out of toluene while gassing:
Crystals collected in Büchner-funnel:
Is all SWIM have done zinc oxide? And if so, how come it came over with the toluene extractions, and if so why the heck did it crystallise when gassed? If not, and it really is mescaline, how come it did not dissolve in 250ml boiling IPA?
Strange cloud in IPA:
EDIT: Apparently it's NOT zinc oxide, since swim just remembered that it dissolved in water. So, then what is it? So strange.