http://www.angelfire.com/apes2/kefka/amphetamine.html (http://www.angelfire.com/apes2/kefka/amphetamine.html)
is this possible?
give me all of your thoughts on it.
No, that procedure is plain silly. A reductive alkylation of PEA/HCHO would give N-methyl-PEA (Ph-CH2-CH2-NH-CH3) not alpha-methyl-PEA (amphetamine).
what is the difference between N-methyl-PEA (Ph-CH2-CH2-NH-CH3) and alpha-methyl-PEA ?
That the added methyl group becomes placed ON the nitrogen, rather than on the carbon atom next to the nitrogen (to create an unbroken three-carbon chain).