Hydroxylation of phenylalanine at the 4 position yields tyrosine. Tyrosine can be hydroxylated to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. This can then be reduced to 3,4-dihydroxymethamphetamine with a Pt/C catalyst under pressure. The bridge is closed afterwards to yield MDMA.

Tedious but scaleable to huge proportions. With safrole gone, this or benzodioxole looks like where it's headed. Pepper is not as cheap as thought because of the tiny amount of piperine you can get.

I'm pretty sure that you could get reliable yields in the hydroxylation steps using a copper catalyst as mentioned my Osmium on Rhodium's page (MMDA text I think?)...however I think that closing the bridge may pose more problems than you think...how are you planning on doing this? (details)

The freedom to say 2+2=4...

dopa or 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalnine ---> MDA rather than to MDMA.

methyl dopa ----> MDMA

I think Psychokitty posted something on this at the novel board.

I see that you are back. Any refs on that?

I remember what you are looking for. It was a post by psychokitty in the novel board. It involved the synthesis of MDMA with methyl-dopa. I'm sure it can be done, but I was wondering about the hydroxylation part. I remember her mentioning something about closing the bridge after getting the amphetamine is easier. I haven't seen her around. i guess she hasn't made a new name yet.

Enzymic Hydroxylation is how you do it.

pk's post from the novel board is probably available from one of the bees who saved that stuff.

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I haven't seen her around. i guess she hasn't made a new name yet.

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psychokitty has been on "hiatus" from the Hive for awhile. But kitty'll bee back someday. Who knows when though...I really hope it's soon.

I miss you, psychokitty! <sob>

JADED

Stonium

Why not just start with Tyrosine, readily available and cheap.

-=Rev. MeO=-

on the old hive there was all these good information pages about precursers next to phenylalinine all it said was strike knows obviously there must be an easy synth for something with it obviously to speed the only thing you need to do is get rid of the O  and OH by catalytic reductions wwhy if so much phenylalinine is available dont people use this instead of pills is it just because the catalysts are hard to get or what?

Some form of williamson ether synthesis could probably close the ring. However you must first eliminate that COOH.  How would you reduce that pesky COOH? 

An old method in the litrature (for amph/meth) uses LiH to reduce the -COOH to -C-OH. They proceed by attaching a para-toluene sulfate compound to the N (as protecting group) and another substituent to the -OH. Reduction (can't remember what with) reduces the -OH and removes the protecting group. Different reduction compounds (or maybe diff. protecting groups) gave either amph or meth.

http://rhodium.lycaeum.org/chemistry/decarboxpha.txt

This post is for informational purposes only an is not intended to facilitate illegal activity.

In "Nature", Vol. 221, 1969, page 538, it lists subsituted phenethylamine derivatives and their potency in units of mescline doses. 

The compound, 4-methoxy-phenethylamine, is listed as having a potency of <1, meaning that the compound is hallcengenic but is less potent than mescaline.  Whereas the compound, 4-methoxy-amphetamine is 5 times as potnet as mescaline. 

Depending on how much trouble you wish to go though one compound might seem more attractive than the other, but I would hypothically try for the less potent compound and try to cut off some difficultly in the chemical procedure.

By the way, wasn't there some discuss a ways back about NaOCl + phenylalanine --> phenlethylamine ?

Tyrosine  -->  4-hydroxyl-phenethylamine

4-hydroxyl-phenethylamine  +  NaOH --> 4-NaO-phenethylamine  +  H2O

4-NaO-phenethylamine  +  CH3Cl  -->  4-methoxy-phenethylamine  +  NaCl

This post is for informational purposes only an is not intended to facilitate illegal activity.

Well, there is DOPA (dihydroxyphenylalanine), with the OHs in the right place. Certain beans (Vicia faba and Mucuna mutisiana) contain 8% L-DOPA.

The only problems I see with using L-Dopa to make MDMA is the fact that it is necessary, to get the full effect of MDMA, to consume the racemate. If there were some cheap way to racemize the substance, it would work, but if my knowledge of chemistry serves me at all, this involves an oxidation and resynthesis, so screw it.
-John Galt

Have you seen the post by Rhodium on COOH reduction: No 194986???

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I dunno, but I been told ... You never slow down, you never grow old!

say goodbye little carboxyl group   heh heh heh

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always appreciate your time and consideration