Chemistry
An industrial scale
methamphetamine and MDMA
chemical factory in
Cikande,
Indonesia.
Safrole, a colorless or slightly yellow oil, extracted from the root-bark or the fruit of
sassafras plants is the primary precursor for all manufacture of MDMA. There are numerous synthetic methods available in the literature to convert safrole into MDMA via different intermediates.
[38][39][40][41] One common route is via the
MDP2P (3,4-
methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone, also known as piperonyl acetone) intermediate. This intermediate can be produced in at least two different ways. One method is to
isomerize safrole to
isosafrole in the presence of a strong base and then oxidize
isosafrole to MDP2P. Another, reportedly better[
citation needed], method is to make use of the
Wacker process to oxidize safrole directly to the MDP2P (3,4-methylenedioxy phenyl-2-propanone) intermediate. This can be done with a
palladium catalyst. Once the MDP2P intermediate has been produced, it is then consumed via a
reductive amination to form MDMA as the product.
Relatively small quantities of essential oil are required to make large numbers of MDMA pills. The essential oil of
Ocotea cymbarum typically contains between 80 and 94% safrole. This would allow 500 ml of the oil, which retails at between $20 and $100, to be used to produce an estimated 1,300 to 2,800 tablets containing approximately 120 mg of MDMA each.
[42]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA#cite_note-41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA#cite_note-41
-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA#cite_note-41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA#cite_note-41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA#cite_note-41
METH :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA#cite_note-41
Chemical data Formula C10
H15
N Mol. mass 149.233 g/mol
SMILES eMolecules &
PubChem Synonyms Desoxyephedrine
Pervitin
Anadrex
Methedrine
Methylamphetamine
Syndrox
Desoxyn