Log in

View Full Version : Safrole from catechol


somewilliepete
2008-12-10, 03:20
Seems interesting, and easier to obtain precursors, than using sassy.





Experimental

1,2-Methylenedioxybenzene (1,3-benzodioxole)
In a 2L-round bottom flask with two neck adapter (reflux condenser, dropping funnel) immersed in an oil bath / magnetic stirrer, are placed 95 mL (1.36 moles) of dibromomethane, 180 mL water and 4-5 mL trioctylmethylammonium chloride (PTC, "Adogen 464, Aliquat 336"). On the top of the reflux condenser, a tube is drawn to a gas washing bottle to give some protection against the atmosphere.) The contents of the flask are heated and stirred to reflux and a previous made solution of 100 g (0.91 moles) 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (catechol), 91 g sodium hydroxide (2.275 moles) and 450 mL water is added to the flask (the contents are stirred vigorously and refluxed continously). The addition time is 120 min, thereafter the contents are stirred and refluxed 90 min. The product is distilled with steam (add water continously to flask, distill off water and product). After 1.5 liters of distillate are collected, the distillate is saturated with table salt, and extracted three times with ether (better: tert-butyl methyl ether, non watched, and not so dangerous). The etheral extracts are dried with sodium sulfate, the whole is filtered, and the drying agent washed with 2x30 mL of solvent. The combined filtrates are evaporated (rotavap), and the residue is distilled in vacuum. At 60-80°C (20 mmHg), 87 g 1,2-methylenedioxybenzene distills, containing about 8% of unreacted dibromomethane. The gum in the reaction/distillation flasks is removed with organic solvents.
4-Bromo-1,2-methylenedioxybenzene


Ref:
Tet. Lett. 3489-3490 (1975)
J. Chem. Soc. (C), 1202-1204 (1969)

In a 500 mL-round bottom flask with reflux condenser (situated in an oil bath and with magnetic stirrer) are placed 70 g of the product from step 1 (92% pure 1,2-methylenedioxybenzene, 0.53 moles), 100 g N-bromosuccinimide and 260 mL chloroform (dry). After three hours of refluxing and stirring, the solution is cooled to room temp, and the the succinimide is filtered off with suction, and washed with 2x20 mL of chloroform. The combined filtrates are evaporated, and the residue is vacuum distilled. At 125-135°C (40 mmHg), a mixture of product and succinimide distills, which is diluted with twice the volume of diethyl ether, stored 3 hrs. over solid sodium hydroxide and washed thoroughly with water. After thorough drying over sodium sulfate, the drying agent is filtered off and washed with 20 mL diethyl ether. The ether is evaporated (rotavap), the yellow-brownish residual oil is sufficiently pure for the next step (the refractive index at 25°C is 1.583). The yield is 72 g, 67% of theory calculated to pure 1,2-methylenedioxybenzene being used.
3,4-Methylenedioxy-allylbenzene (Safrole)

J. Org. Chem. 23, 908-910 (1958)
Ann. Chem. 689, 156-162 (1965)


In a 500 mL flask (immersed in a magnetic stirrer / oil bath) are placed 10-11g magnesium turnings, and 150 mL tetrahydrofuran (freshly distilled from sodium). After the addition of a little iodine crystal and 2 mL dibromomethane to start the Grignard reaction, the 72 g of 4-bromo-1,2-methylenedioxybenzene (step 2) are added to maintain gently reflux. To start up, heating of the bath to 50°C is recommended. After the addition, which takes about 60 min., the whole is stirred and refluxed 1 hr., and the brown liquid is rapidly decanted to a very dry 500 mL flask with dropping funnel and reflux condenser. The magnesium turnings are washed with additional 20 mL dry THF, the washing is added to the Grignard solution. A little (0.5 g) copper(I)iodide is added, and with cooling in an ice-bath, 40 mL (0.47 moles) allyl bromide are added dropwise, the internal temperature should not exceed 40°C. After standing overnight, followed by 1 hr of refluxing, the reaction mixture is suspended in a solution of 20 mL 37% hydrochloric acid in 500 mL water and this is added to 80 mL 25% ammonia, and the solution is steam distilled as above. After collecting 2 L distillate, the distillate is acidified to congo red (pH 4) with hydrochloric acid, saturated with table salt, and extracted with 4x200 mL ether. The combined extracts are dried with sodium hydroxide, evaporated (rotavap), and the residue taken up in ether, and washed thorougly with sodium hydroxide. After drying (sodium sulfate), the drying agent is filtered, washed with 20 mL ether, and the combined extracts are evaporated. The residue is vacuum distilled, 39 g (67% of theory) of safrole, boiling at 120-130°C (20-25 mmHg), are obtained. Colourless and typically smelling oil. Total yield (from the catechol), 32-33% of theory.

Bull. Soc. chim. France, 1892-1895 (1964)

somewilliepete
2008-12-10, 03:21
Diethyl ether can always be substituted by more harmless and non-watched tert-butyl methyl ether.

Credit goes to "Psycho Chemist" for the write-up

somewilliepete
2008-12-10, 03:38
After some searching, pure catechol flakes can be purchased for photo developing purposes, and it is not on any watched/suspicious chemicals lists.

Can be bought by the liter.
Scroll down or Ctrl+F

nshanin
2008-12-10, 03:48
Oh man I remember this one. Good luck getting some Grignard reagents. It's not hard to make but rather tough to use. PTCs ain't cheap either, but there are easier methyleneation reactions out there. Catechol is easy to find, but that's why these write-ups are on rhodium in the first place; it's just another safrole synth with a new initial substrate, definitely not the best nor the easiest.

nshanin
2008-12-10, 03:49
Don't post sources!

somewilliepete
2008-12-10, 04:28
Its true. But there is always a few who can benefit from this.

Don't post sources!


I was just posting a place to get my favorite black and white developer.

Von Bass
2008-12-10, 15:05
I was just posting a place to get my favorite black and white developer.

Please take that link down, I think we all know it, and there's been other photographic stores that now have disclaimers and other that have stopped selling certain chemicals because of DEA interest. There was a case where a company got into trouble for not reporting someone buying hydroquinnone and then ordering palladium chloride, so most of them stopped selling PdCl online, and have to watch for dangerous combinations. Sites like that being flagged as links on websites is not what we want to keep sources clean.

It might seem paranoid, and it probably is, but we all know it, and its just not worth the risk. Plus if someone wanted to pin a conviction on you, it makes it look a whole lot more like you were trying to manufacture safrole or incite others to do so if you provide links to sources of precursors.

somewilliepete
2008-12-10, 15:34
Please take that link down, I think we all know it, and there's been other photographic stores that now have disclaimers and other that have stopped selling certain chemicals because of DEA interest. There was a case where a company got into trouble for not reporting someone buying hydroquinnone and then ordering palladium chloride, so most of them stopped selling PdCl online, and have to watch for dangerous combinations. Sites like that being flagged as links on websites is not what we want to keep sources clean.

It might seem paranoid, and it probably is, but we all know it, and its just not worth the risk. Plus if someone wanted to pin a conviction on you, it makes it look a whole lot more like you were trying to manufacture safrole or incite others to do so if you provide links to sources of precursors.

Sad, but true. And also done...

Von Bass
2008-12-10, 16:23
Sad, but true. And also done...

Thanks a lot, as I say, most likely paranoia, but I prefer being safe :)

stateofhack
2008-12-10, 23:31
Catechol is easy but this is not the best synth for safrole IMO. I think the one by wizardX is and please do not copy pasta bullshit you find over the internet :). Everyone has seen it :p

nshanin
2008-12-11, 00:01
^ I actually came up with MDMA from eugenol independently. Then I googled "eugenol MDMA" and realized somebody got there way before I did. :(

stateofhack
2008-12-12, 11:38
^ I actually came up with MDMA from eugenol independently. Then I googled "eugenol MDMA" and realized somebody got there way before I did. :(

What route did you propose?

nshanin
2008-12-12, 12:19
What route did you propose?

Demethylation and subsequent methyleneation of eugenol. It was just paper chemistry so I didn't even post it online but one I was able to get online I figured out that I wasn't the first.

fcknut
2008-12-12, 12:22
What route did you propose?

How about....

Aziridination of the olefin, followed by ring opening - I reckon you might have a good chance of obtaining the desired product with a number of reagents, as you would be attacking at the least hindered position to give the thermodynamic product (though the reaction is likely to be kinetically controlled i spose, so this may not be such a driving force).

Not too sure bout closing the methylenedioxy ring off the head top, but it's possible that one might be able to perform some kind of palladium catalysed C-H activation to give the iodide, then chuck in some base and whirl it round a bit to get it to cyclise...


could be quite neat, assuming that any of it works...


Edit: Had a very quick look, and it seems that demethylation followed by a double alkylation is the most popular route to building methylenedioxy rings, though that's not to say it's actually the best...

stateofhack
2008-12-12, 18:13
Edit: Had a very quick look, and it seems that demethylation followed by a double alkylation is the most popular route to building methylenedioxy rings, though that's not to say it's actually the best...

This. I mean there was got to be an easier way to it, anyone looked into the proposed LiCl route? (look on rhodium and hive archive)

fcknut
2008-12-12, 18:43
This. I mean there was got to be an easier way to it, anyone looked into the proposed LiCl route? (look on rhodium and hive archive)


Had a quick look but couldn't find what you're referring to...


Had another thought on these lines though... ( http://www.evilshare.com/d30243ac-19cc-102c-aacf-0007e90cfb90)

UK_TOM
2008-12-13, 12:18
Catechol is easy but this is not the best synth for safrole IMO. I think the one by wizardX is and please do not copy pasta bullshit you find over the internet :). Everyone has seen it :p


Out of interest, is WizardX's site doing anything these days??? Damn decent guy and knows his shit. I always have time for his stuff.;)