Amphetamine synthesis report (but failing, searching for solutions)

ACAB

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Hello,
here is my report about an amphetamine synthesis, which unfortunately did not go very well due to the yield at the end.
First of all about me, I recently came across this forum and had already had a little experience with amphetamine synthesis.
But here I found someone I could ask all kinds of questions and who also gave me the courage to publish my report here. Mr. G.Patton was a great help to me, he always has an open ear and answers every question, no matter how stupid it may be.

I did not describe every step exactly, because for this the instructions in the forum are much better, I took a lot of photos and mostly just highlighted the differences to the instructions.

I'll briefly give my stakes for the synthesis and then we'll start directly. For the A/B extraction and the subsequent acetone wash I don't give any details here, either in the report below or take from the instructions here in the forum.

Stakes:
IPA: 2x 250ml
Acetic acid: 2x 125ml
Water: 2x 50ml
P2NP: 50g (5g+45g)
Alu: 60g
NaOH/Water: 250g/250ml
Mercury(II) nitrate: 0.5g

I have driven 3 syntheses, this one with the next photos was the last one.

The amalgamation was started with about 2 liters of water, aluminum and mercury salt.
It took over 40 minutes until the reaction was ready, quite violent reaction, I have never waited so long.
I took a picture almost every 5 minutes after I put the mercury salt in and kept shaking it in between. You can see very well the different phases including the peak of the reaction and the subsequent decay. From minute 25 the temperature slowly went up and reached the maximum temperature of 70°C from minute 35.
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After drained the water i do not rinsed the aluminium.
I make 2 solutions by halving the input amounts of the liquids, one with 10% of P2NP and one with 90% of P2NP. The one with the 10% goes directly into the flask to start the reduction. The one with 90% I let run slowly through a funnel, I use an overhead stirrer, and watch the temperature. This time, however, the reduction had to be kicked off with a little mercury salt. I also did this again at the end, about 1 hour later.
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I usually filter the reaction mass before adding caustic soda, because I use a separating funnel afterwards to separate the phases. (no photos)
I dry this phase over MgSO4 overnight and then salt out.
I always collect all liquids before I recycle or reprocess them. When I tipped the isopropanol together after vacuum filtering, I noticed that something settled at the bottom of the beaker. I measured the pH value of all 3 tipped together filtrates, which was approx. 6.5.
And I thought, I will add sulfuric acid and filter again, but first I put it in the freezer and see what happens.
What I got to see after about 3 hours was amazing (photo), I titrated the "waste" solution down to about pH6.0 with additional 7ml 1:5 H2SO4:IPA solution and filtered, the yield was the largest optical of the 4.
I will only use the scale always at the end, when the product is consumable, all other is waste what don't care.

So now I have 4 yields instead of 3. If I didn't care, from now on I would also throw everything together and determine a total yield.

So far, it looks like the first synthesis was a lucky strike, because it was done without complete amalgamation.
Also that my first synthesis is the cleanest shows that my way to filter the reaction mixture after the reduction is the right way. All the others look so dirty and disgusting, no one needs that.

For the second synthesis, I waited about 40 minutes for amalgamation, but then I made a mistake. When I changed the round bottom flask and the 90% P2NP solution slowly ran in, the reduction did not start. I hesitated too long or waited until I decided to add mercury salt again. I saw it too late that the funnel was already 2/3 empty, I should have acted before, so now I had a large reaction mass in the flask, which could become a problem for me, if I am not careful. I provided cooling and fetched something to catch for the hot soup that could shoot out of the top of the reflux cooler.
And so it happened, the reaction was not to tame despite cooling, it went through cooler and splashed out the top, by a beaker what I put over the top was the worst prevented, I had to make then only some cleaning. Have I once again lucky.
Here, too, I performed a filtration after the reduction before I made the alkalinization. I think the discoloration was caused by the strong reaction, also the smallest yield we saw here.

Third synthesis, 40 minutes amalgamation, addition of mercury salt to start the reduction, but this time only with the 10% in the round bottom flask, I left the funnel closed this time. After the start, with cooling and feeding with solution, I regulated the temperature to 60°C-70°C and towards the end I started the reduction again with mercury salt, which was also successful.
This time alkalinization was done before filtering, but filtering didn't help much, I had to fill this gray soup in my separating funnel for phase separation.

These were the three preliminary stories, each a little different from the other, but still decisive in the result. Now the pictures of the salting and the chance find of the fourth yield.

Still briefly to the pictures:
You will see an electric pH meter with glass body and probe, which I use for titration. Since some assume that you can't properly determine pH with such a device, when there is no water in the solution, I used an analog way for comparison. I do not do that normally, I trust the device because I tested it, the pH determination is perfect, in my opinion, there is nothing more convenient in the titration by using such a device.
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The four first yields after first salting.
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I dried the four yields and then ground them with a grinder.
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Now I dissolved the salt in water under a little heating, then filtered off the solids and brought the solution to below pH6 with a drop of hydrochloric acid.
Then the solution was washed/shaken out 3 times with 30ml,20ml and 10ml of petroleum ether respectively the solution was then separated using a separating funnel. The petroleum ether was discarded. After washing out the non-polar impurities, the solution was then brought to a pH greater than 13 with sodium hydroxide. And again, the solution was then washed/shaken out three times with 60ml, 40ml and 20ml of petroleum ether, respectively, and then separated with a separating funnel, by the addition of NaCl.
MgSO4 was then added to the separated petroleum ether and placed in the freezer for 3 hours, then the MgSO4 was filtered off and the petroleum ether was evaporated using temperature control on a hot plate at 40°C.
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The pure amphetamine oil is poured into a beaker which is filled with isopropanol. Then, as before, it is salted out by titration, filtered and dried. I always used a heat lamp for drying before I had a desiccator, which works very well and also goes relatively quickly.
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Finally an acetone wash is done, for this I use a grinder and sieves to get the sulfate as fine as possible to get the surface as large as possible for good cleaning.
Again, the lamp was taken, the lamp should be hung so high that the product does not get much warmer than 60°C.
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Yes and unfortunately my very poor result of 18.5g, that is only 33% of 70%. Not even half of what is usual.
This is just frustrating. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong here that I'm so bad.
After this result I did not make the other 3 separately any more but threw them together, resulting in a total of about 20g. All in all not very much, but very clean product.

I am open to any suggestions.
 

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ASheSChem

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thank you for sharing all your experiences with us!
I'm going to try the same soon so I'm following it very closely :)

I'm not pro enough to give you advice; on the other hand, I notice that you don't do everything the same as the video, but it may be equivalent, I don't know;)
 

G.Patton

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I'm very appreciated for your detailed report!
 
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G.Patton

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@Pennywise Do you have pic of your p2np? Are you sure in quality of P2NP?
 

ACAB

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My P2NP has a beautiful yellow and when I recrystallize it in isopropanol I have a loss less than 0.1g, so I think it is very clean and pure.
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MadHatter

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Thank you for taking the time to share your work and experience!
As for yield: sorry, I can't see what your crude yield was? Before A/B and wash? Did you loose a lot of yield in the purification process or was your yield low even in crude product?
 

ACAB

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Yes that's right, but you will find out that once you choose the amount of P2NP and aluminum higher than 5g, it's not so easy to keep the reduction under control with a little shaking and cool water. With 20g of P2NP and 30g of aluminum you will get a nasty surprise, if your round bottom flask has not the right size and you don't cool it with really cold ice water, it will puke everything out of the top, I promise you. For this reason, I slowly increase the amount of P2NP in the flask so that the reaction is much slower.
Whether this is the right technique now and whether it also works properly as I imagine is another matter.
But I have solved the problem of the uncontrollable reaction in this way.
That I first filter the reaction mass before the alkalinization, is because in the separating funnel the thick soup would clog everything. I find that is the more elegant solution, also that I have less dirt when salting out,
I find an advantage, you only have to rinse the filter properly.
The two cleaning steps at the end, have always been part of the sysnthesis for me. And I haven't really done much else differently.

As I tried to share, I never weighed the intermediate steps until I completed the cleaning step, the weight is not interesting because there is simply still dirt in it.
I'm happy to weigh it, but what's the point? I'm only interested in the clean and pure product at the end and that's how I measure success.
 

MadHatter

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Well, it's important if you want to find out what in the reaction went wrong to minimize your yield. You do this by analyzing the product in every step, like when you try to find out what's wrong with an electrical circuit by measuring the voltage and current in different parts of it.
If your intermediate, crude yield is much higher than your final yield, you know you have a lot of impurities. These can be unreacted, dried precursor, or side products. Together with the color, smell and texture of the intermediate product one can determine what those impurities are, and what part of the reaction that causes them.
Also, it's good to know how much is washed out in different parts of the purification process, to better determine what those impurities are.
But if your crude and final yield are somewhat similar, that means you have washed out a lot of unreacted precursor prior to drying the crude product.
If you don't have any measurements, all you can do is guess and try again, blindly.

Also, to better control your reaction with the amalgam using larger amounts of P2NP and amalgam, you should try one or more of these steps:
1. Invest in a pressure- equalizing dripping funnel and do the addition more slowly.
2. Have a proper salt/ice bath under your reaction vessel, or alternatively a jacketed reaction flask in which you can adjust the flow of salty ice water.
3. Use thicker aluminum. The reaction will be less violent and easier to control. This can also increase your yield, if the problem is unreacted precursor.
 

ASheSChem

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Just to know, have you tried smaller quantities like in the video?
like
10 g 1-phenyl-2-nitropropene;
100 ml isopropyl alcohol;
12 g aluminum (in the form of sliced household foil);
0.1g mercury nitrate;
 

ACAB

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Thanks for your thoughts, I will also weigh the intermediate steps in the future to be able to answer your unanswered questions.

To your points:
1) I use this type of funnel to control the feed.
2) I always have a large bowl of ice salt water which is cooled to -21°C ready and if the temperature is too high, I also cooled. For large reaction masses even this cooling is no longer sufficient, a controlled feed is in my opinion the best idea so far.
3) I use industrial aluminum foil which is much thicker than normal kitchen aluminum foil, this one has 36μm. But the next roll will have 50μm.
Of course, I started with small amounts, I slowly felt my way in and slowly increased the amounts.
There have also been better yields, but for me it looks more like luck than that it can be due to my way of working or the techniques I use, but I can't believe that. There will be something I need to pay closer attention to that I don't have in mind yet.
 

Mclssmxxl

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At 30g rno2 and paper thin cut foil is a surefire recipe for overflow hehe.When I go over 5g of substrate i ball up my alu by hand, making not too loose not too tight balls.Helps keep the reaction under control, may need some heat to drive it to the end, but not all the time.
 

MadHatter

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Well, luck always plays a part. Organic chemistry is cooking, after all, and just as the very experienced chef will always succeed in making a soufflé just by feeling when it's time to take it out and how to mix the ingredients, a less experienced cook will fail half the time, cursing and not knowing why :), Alexander Schulgin said: "Organic chemistry is for people who like to cook".
But thank you so much for trying and sharing your experience, it's extremely valuable. I long for the more experienced chemists to jump in and give feedback also.
 

ACAB

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I really like cooking, but to be successful, more intuition in the use of spices is the way to go. When cooking with chemistry, it will probably be more the technique and how to implement it, especially when trying to consistently achieve the quality of the product. What I mean by luck is rather the result of the reaction, that this is not predictable and it is always random, how much P2NP is now reduced to amphetamine, under always the same conditions. As if I can't influence the reaction and have to take it as it comes. And I don't believe in that, there must be a technique that guarantees me that I always consistently get a certain amount with a certain quality out.
 

ACAB

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As I said, I use slightly thicker industrial aluminum foil and shred it with a shredder, which is very fast and very uniform. I have never used other techniques here.
 

WillD

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If it's crumpled foil, there may be a problem. Large pieces of chemical quality aluminum (granules) react when the oxide film is removed and aluminum becomes active, reacting with water (acid). In your case, industrial aluminum is not an accurate concept.
 

ACAB

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Wait, I shouldn't use foil? I've always done it that way until now, what's wrong with that?
 

Saul

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you have different thickness in allu foil standard is 15 micron thickness
but if you search you find also 5 micron .
this one works much better I think ;-)
 

ACAB

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ok, so it is because of my foil, then you can also explain this and also tell why despite the foil completely different yields are possible, because I have never used another than this and there were already very good syntheses with much and good yield. If I understand why thicker foil is the reason why my results are so different, it would help me a lot. As far as I have read and understood, thin foil reacts much faster and more violently in contrast to thick foil which reacts slower and is easier to control.
 

Mclssmxxl

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Well, I would think in general a reaction that runs to the end at a constant say 60 C, compared to a reaction that quickly goes to 80 C, then is cooled, heated again etc will have a better yield.Just my thinking, maybe somebody can correct me.Have you tried straining on a loose mesh and not filtering after rno2 addition? 2 times I filtered after this step on paper and both times my yields were low, but it might be coinidence.A bit of Al is fine before alkalization, it’s just gonna react with the soda and dissolve in the water layer.
Don’t stress it too much also, just keep doing small scale over and over and you’re gonna get consistent yields soon.
 

Loooow

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