Formetorex

Last updated
Formetorex
N-formylamphetamine.png
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
  • InChI=1S/C10H13NO/c1-9(11-8-12)7-10-5-3-2-4-6-10/h2-6,8-9H,7H2,1H3,(H,11,12)
  • CC(CC1=CC=CC=C1)NC=O
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]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elimination reaction</span> Reaction where 2 substituents are removed from a molecule in a 1 or 2 step mechanism

An elimination reaction is a type of organic reaction in which two substituents are removed from a molecule in either a one- or two-step mechanism. The one-step mechanism is known as the E2 reaction, and the two-step mechanism is known as the E1 reaction. The numbers refer not to the number of steps in the mechanism, but rather to the kinetics of the reaction: E2 is bimolecular (second-order) while E1 is unimolecular (first-order). In cases where the molecule is able to stabilize an anion but possesses a poor leaving group, a third type of reaction, E1CB, exists. Finally, the pyrolysis of xanthate and acetate esters proceed through an "internal" elimination mechanism, the Ei mechanism.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clandestine chemistry</span> Illegal preparation of chemicals

Clandestine chemistry is chemistry carried out in secret, and particularly in illegal drug laboratories. Larger labs are usually run by gangs or organized crime intending to produce for distribution on the black market. Smaller labs can be run by individual chemists working clandestinely in order to synthesize smaller amounts of controlled substances or simply out of a hobbyist interest in chemistry, often because of the difficulty in ascertaining the purity of other, illegally synthesized drugs obtained on the black market. The term clandestine lab is generally used in any situation involving the production of illicit compounds, regardless of whether the facilities being used qualify as a true laboratory.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamford–Stevens reaction</span> Synthesis of alkenes by base-catalysed decomposition of tosylhydrazones

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phenylacetone</span> Chemical compound

Phenylacetone, also known as phenyl-2-propanone, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5CH2COCH3. It is a colorless oil that is soluble in organic solvents. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of an acetone attached to a phenyl group. As such, its systematic IUPAC name is 1-phenyl-2-propanone.

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In organic chemistry, the Paal–Knorr synthesis is a reaction used to synthesize substituted furans, pyrroles, or thiophenes from 1,4-diketones. It is a synthetically valuable method for obtaining substituted furans and pyrroles, which are common structural components of many natural products. It was initially reported independently by German chemists Carl Paal and Ludwig Knorr in 1884 as a method for the preparation of furans, and has been adapted for pyrroles and thiophenes. Although the Paal–Knorr synthesis has seen widespread use, the mechanism wasn't fully understood until it was elucidated by V. Amarnath et al. in the 1990s.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wenker synthesis</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">DMMDA</span> Bioactive phenylethylamine

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References

  1. Ganellin CR, Triggle DJ (21 November 1996). Dictionary of Pharmacological Agents. CRC Press. pp. 568–. ISBN   978-0-412-46630-4.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Laboratory and Scientific Section (2006). Recommended methods of the identification and analysis of amphetamine, methamphetamine, and their ring-substituted analogues in seized materials (PDF). New York: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Vienna. ISBN   92-1-148208-9 . Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  3. Kram TC (July 1979). "Reidentification of a major impurity in illicit amphetamine". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 24 (3): 596–9. doi:10.1520/JFS10875J. PMID   541629.