Sciencemadness Discussion Board

sec butylation of 5-MeO-tryptamine

inertia - 23-6-2014 at 16:33

I'm looking for a decent way to s-butylate 5-Methoxy t. I understand that there's a lot of discussion involving the methylation of this compound and related compounds (in an effort to illegally synthesize DMT and 5-MeO-DMT), but I'm interested in butylation, something I haven't seen any information on. I understand that eschweiler clarke methylation doesn't work as a result of the pictet spengler reaction being more favored. I was thinking that it may be possible for one to alkylate 5 MeO-T with methyl ethyl ketone and an acid (acetic, citric[?]) refluxing for long enough. Would that work/is there a better way?

arkoma - 23-6-2014 at 17:55

Get to know our community a bit better, and ya might actually get an answer. We aren't opposed to drug chemistry per se, but on your FIRST post, yeah. Least ya didna use "SWIM".

inertia - 24-6-2014 at 08:32

arkoma, I've long lurked this board, but I haven't ever bothered to make an account. I'm not interested in drug chemistry or the synthesis of illegal compounds, but I found information online that a sec butyl tryptamine has never been studied rigorously, and I found that to be particularly interesting. Shulgin himself expressed interest in it.

I'm sorry if I crossed a line by asking this on my first post, this is just my current project since I got home from university for the summer, and I was having difficulties with a proposed synthesis.

arkoma - 24-6-2014 at 08:43

I get protective *blush*

If your a chem student PLEASE contribute. There are a few middle-aged n00bs like myself can use the insight of a "sharp young kid".

And may Sasha rest in peace!

inertia - 24-6-2014 at 08:52

I'm a chemistry major at MIT! Granted, only a second year, but I'd like to think I could contribute a bit.

arkoma - 24-6-2014 at 09:10

well, YEAH:D

Crowfjord - 24-6-2014 at 09:31

Howdy, inertia. Are you talking about mono- or di-alkylation? Also, your proposed reaction lacks a crucial reagent: a reducing agent. Just refluxing in acid would cause all sorts of things to form (imines, aminals, hemiaminals, etc,...) but not the sec-butylamine. Have you gotten to reductive amination in your studies yet? Also, look into nucleophilic substitution (SN2 reactions and such).

Mono-alkylation shouldn't be a problem, really, with either type of reaction. Getting a second sec-butyl group on that amine would prove a little more difficult due to stearic hindrance. The reaction would probably need a long time, or creative variation.