ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 8

The Origin of Alkenes in Illicit Amphetamine: An Examination of the Illicit Synthesis of Phenyl-2-Propanone
Forbes, IJ
Post graduate research student with the Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde,

Paul Kirkbride, K
Senior Forensic Scientist, South Australian State Forensic Science,

Abstract

The acylative decarboxylation reaction of phenylacetic acid, a method used in clandestine laboratories for the synthesis of phenyl-2-propanone, has been examined. It has been demonstrated that this reaction is accompanied by side-reactions that produce characteristic neutral compounds, some of these are cis and trans 1,3-diphenyl-2-methylpropene and the enol acetates derived from dibenzylketone and phenyl-2-propanone. It would be difficult for an unskilled chemist to separate these neutral substances from phenyl-2-propanone, therefore illicit phenyl-2-propanone is likely to be an impure product. The use of crude phenyl-2-propanone in reductive amination reactions aimed at amphetamine production gives rise to a complex mixture of amines and characteristic neutral compounds.

The likely origins of N-acetylamphetamine and amphetamine benzaldimine are also discussed.

Keywords:
toxicology, amphetamine, alkenes, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, illicit synthesis, synthetic impurities

Paper ID: JFS13318J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13318J
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