 | |
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name N-(1-Phenylpropan-2-yl)formamide | |
| Other names Formetorex N-Formylamphetamine N-(alpha-Methylphenethyl)formamide | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) | |
| 1563 | |
| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
PubChem CID | |
| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
| |
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| Properties | |
| C10H13NO | |
| Molar mass | 163.220 g·mol−1 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
Formetorex (INN), also known as formetamide or N-formylamphetamine, is a substituted amphetamine described as an anorectic which does not appear to have ever been marketed. [1]
Formetorex is also an intermediate in the production of amphetamine by the "Leuckart reaction." [2] It is also commonly found as an impurity in clandestine labs where this synthesis method is used. [2] [3] Due to the simplicity of the Leuckart reaction, it is the most popular synthetic route employed for the illicit manufacture of amphetamines. [2] The synthesis involves a non-metal reduction that is typically carried out in three steps. [2] For amphetamine synthesis, a mixture of phenylacetone and formamide (sometimes in the presence of formic acid) or ammonium formate, is heated until a condensation reaction results in the intermediate product, formetamide. [2] In the second step, formetamide is hydrolysed using hydrochloric acid, and the reaction mixture is then basified, isolated, and steam distilled to produce the free base. [2] The final step, the product is dissolved in an organic solvent and precipitated as the sulphate salt of amphetamine by adding sulfuric acid. [2]
Amphetamine synthesis via the Leuckart reaction |
It can in theory also serve as a precursor to methamphetamine, by removing the aldehyde group with a strong reducing agent such as LAH (in PiHKAL, Shulgin describes the analogous synthesis of MDMA by reduction of N-formyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine).
