Disclaimer: procedure below is *entirely* theoretical.
I. Formulation and principle.
a) Methyl-tosylate is prepared from tosyl-chloride (chlor-anhydride of para-toluene-sulfonic acid)under basic conditions with sodium-methylate.
b) ... is added to the solution of tryptamine in dichloromethane, stoichiometrically, 2:1
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Actual methylation attempt.
MeO-Na : to 20 ml of freshly distilled MeOH was added several small chunks of sodium metal. - small quantity of white precipitate was formed on the bottom of the beaker.
After the gas evolution stopped, the resulted solution of MeOH/MeONa was placed into an addition funnel with a piece of cotton near the valve (to filter).
Note: handling sodium. Sodium was stored in the xylol; must
be handled with extreme care(!!!) one takes it from the flask with forceps, cuts with a knife and makes strips out of it with a glass tube. Important is to wash utensils after, with isopropanol first, and only then water. Excess sodium can be thrown into isopropanol for deactivation.
2. Meanwhile:
In the 2-neck small flask: 2 g of tryptamine is dissolved in ~20 mL of freshly distilled CH2CL2 and is stirred with magnetic stirrer at room temperature under argon flow.
The addition funnel with MeOH/MeONa is attached.
3. To the addition funnel is added 2.5 g solid Tosyl-Cl
and is mixed in with a glass rod.
The whole thing is left to stand like that under urgon flow
for ~0.5 hr. Then addition drop by drop starts on the course of 5 min.
Monitoring with TLC
Personal Note: really need help on TLC with tryptamine derivatives.
Solvent used : MeOH:AcOEt (4:1) and some, undefined (several drops), quantity of diethyl amine.
Tryptamine Rf here was 0.8 (measured from center of the spot)
On the course of the reaction above
spots with Rf )0.7;0.6 and 0.42 were noticed
0.42 was tentatively ascribed to dmt.
spot that barely moved was attributed to fully methylated
salt.
[How do you develop your TLC for tryptamines? what I did:
drop into iodine-filled closed beaker, then dump into water to make them visible]
Reaction stopped after 3 hrs of stirring at room temperature.
Diluted with large amount of CH2CL2 (70 mL) washed with
water solution of diethyl amine, 4% tetramethylammonium salt, and distilled water.
Dried over sodium sulfate, reduced significantly in volume;
and chromatographed on ~15cmx1cm silicagel (100 mesh) column
(Eluted with MeOH, monitored by TLC)
desired fraction after rotor-vaping solvent formed lightly yellow crystalline solid, ~2 g (~80%).
m.p 56 C (huh ??)
WARNING: POISON: TARGET ORGANS: CNS (Yes!)
addressing Rhodium question: sublimes/melts/ at 60-70 C under ~ 1 mm Hg ( small quantity was wasted on that in the
aldritch-micro-scale boiling point apparatus)
{Do not have Mcleod gauge, will borrow from a friend,
and then will report more precisely)
Z_hound
Any Possession is a Demonic Possession!