The Vespiary

Hi bees!

Chose not to post this in the stimulant forum, as the method looks usable for a great deal of compounds aswell.

This (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/grignardimine.html)

(https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/grignardimine.html) method on Rhodiums page looks quite nice, but i cant quite figure out how the reaction actually works with all the water formed in the acetaldehyde methylimine intermediate. The author does not use any form of drying techniques for getting rid of his mole of water formed? As far as i have understood things the water will utterly ruin the benzylmagnesiumchloride. Maybe the imine does react with the magnesiumchloride and is directly turned into methamphetamine by the water present?

Can anyone enlighten me here, as i am somewhat confused about the reaction!

Thanks!

Regards
Bandil

Edit: whops, forgot to post the link im talking about... This has now been corrected.

I think that the guy has exaggerated his success somewhat, especially as you look at Vera Evdokimoff's original article which gave only 40% yield using MeNH2 freebase and Na2SO4 as drying agent. But now in the age of molecular sieves that yield should easily be exceeded. 

Post 450065 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=7961.msg45006500#msg45006500)

(Rhodium: "grignard on acetaldehyde methylimine -> meth", Stimulants)

also read:

Post 248673 (https://www.thevespiary.org/talk/index.php?topic=6787.msg24867300#msg24867300)

(Rhodium: "Re: Novel BzCl To Meth In One Pot", Chemistry Discourse)

Post 378668 (missing)

(Rhodium: "acetaldehyde methylimine", Stimulants)

acetaldehyde methylimine will polymerize easily:

Post 18586 (missing)

(Rhodium: "Re: a revolution in amphetamine synthesis ??", Chemistry Discourse)

Post 16488 (missing)

(Rhodium: "Clandestine lab survey report", General Discourse)

Thanks Vitus, you rock!

Regards
Bandil

Also note that two equivalents of BnMgCl is used in Vera's original article - some of the 100% excess reagent is probably used as an expensive 'drying agent' - any formed toluene is removed in the workup.