SYNTHESIS of 3.4-METHYLENEDIOXYPHENYL-2-PROPANONE from SAFROLE

The Synthesis of 3.4-methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone from safrole has been achieved through conversion of allyl group to secondary alcohol, followed by oxidation with pyridinium chlorochromate(PCC).  The secondary alcohol has been achieved by two methods. The first method was formic acid adition reaction, followed by hydrolysis in aqueous ethanolic solution of potassium hydroxide.  The second method was the oxymercuration-demercuration reaction of safrole. The addition reaction of safrole with formic acid yield safrylformate (34,70%). The hydrolysis of safrylformate with 3M KOH produced safrylalchohol (73,29%). The oxymercuration-demercuration reaction of safrole with Hg(OAc)2-NaBH4 gave (74,37%) of safrylalcohol.  The oxidation of safryalcohol with PCC gave 3.4-methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone as a main target in 71,83%. The structure elucidations of these products were analyzed by  FTIR , 1H-NMR,  13C-NMR and MS.   Keyword: 3.4-methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone;  safrol

Chemistry at Dalhousie circa 1868

Abstract: This article describes details of classes at Dalhousie University in 1868â 1869, of the life of George Lawson, the first Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy, and of the wide range of chemical concepts known at that time. A comprehensive set of lecture notes from Lawson's chemistry course, written by a student, Alexander Russell, and held in the Dalhousie University Archives, offers a wonderful insight into the state of chemical knowledge and how it was taught at that time. Lawson began with general chemical principles followed by a detailed discussion of the nonmetals. The second half of the class covered a range of metals followed by a small section on mineralogy and a large section on organic and biological chemistry. Lawson used an older set of atomic masses in which many, but not all, of the elements had masses one-half of the accepted values today. When corrected for these errors, Lawsonâ s formulae, even for complex molecules such as morphine, mostly agreed with contemporary usage. Examples of nomenclature, chemical formulae, preparations, processes and properties are presented. A few examination questions are given also. Even though the concepts involved in understanding chemical structure were just being developed, the breadth and depth of descriptive chemical knowledge at that time was remarkable.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

SYNTHESIS OF ANALOG L--METIL-DOPA FROM EUGENOL

Synthesis of analog L--metil-Dopa from eugenol has been achieved through conversion of allyl group to ketone, followed by reaction with NH3 and KCN and by hydrolisis. The addition reaction of methyleugenol with formic acid yield methyleugenyl formate (60,69%). The hydrolis of methyileugenylformate with KOH in aqaueous-ethanolic solution produced methyleugenyl alcohol (73,68%). The oxidation of methyleugenyl alcohol with PCC yield methyleugenyl ketone (67,71%). The reaction of methyleugenyl ketone with NH3 and KCN yield D,L--amino--(3,4-dimetoxybenzyl) propionitril (84,14%). The hydrolisis of D,L--amino--(3,4-dimetoxybenzyl) propionitril with concentrated hydrochloric acid gave Analog L--metil-Dopa as a main target (91,98%). The structure elucidation of these products were analyzed by FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and MS   Keywords: Analog L--metil-Dopa; eugenol

SYNTHESIS OF SAFRYL KETONE FROM SAFROLE

Synthesis of safryl ketone from safrole has been achieved through conversion of allyl group to secondary alcohol, followed by oxidation with PCC-Al2O3. The oxymecuration-demercuration reaction of safrole with HgSO4-NaBH4 yields safryl alcohol (66.38%) and the oxidation of safryl alcohol with PCC-Al2O3 yields safryl ketone (62.92%). The structure elucidation of these products was conducted using Fourier Transformed Infra Red Spectroscopy (FTIR), Proton-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR) and Mass Spectroscopy (MS).   Keywords: safryl ketone, safrol

Studying the chemistry of cationized triacylglycerols using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and density functional theory computations

Analysis of triacylglycerols (TAGs), found as complex mixtures in living organisms, is typically accomplished using liquid chromatography, often coupled to mass spectrometry. TAGs, weak bases not protonated using electrospray ionization, are usually ionized by adduct formation with a cation, including those present in the solvent (e.g., Na+). There are relatively few reports on the binding of TAGs with cations or on the mechanisms by which cationized TAGs fragment. This work examines binding efficiencies, determined by mass spectrometry and computations, for the complexation of TAGs to a range of cations (Na+, Li+, K+, Ag+, NH 4 +). While most cations bind to oxygen, Ag+ binding to unsaturation in the acid side chains is significant. The importance of dimer formation, [2TAG + M]+ was demonstrated using several different types of mass spectrometers. From breakdown curves, it became apparent that two or three acid side chains must be attached to glycerol for strong cationization. Possible mechanisms for fragmentation of lithiated TAGs were modeled by computations on tripropionylglycerol. Viable pathways were found for losses of neutral acids and lithium salts of acids from different positions on the glycerol moiety. Novel lactone structures were proposed for the loss of a neutral acid from one position of the glycerol moiety. These were studied further using triple-stage mass spectrometry (MS3). These lactones can account for all the major product ions in the MS3 spectra in both this work and the literature, which should allow for new insights into the challenging analytical methods needed for naturally occurring TAGs.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Strategic identi\ufb01cation of in vitro metabolites of 13-desmethyl spirolide C using liquid chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry

A strategy to identify metabolites of a marine biotoxin, 13-desmethyl spirolide C, has been developed using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS). Metabolites were generated in vitro through incubation with human liver microsomes. A list of metabolites was established by selecting precursor ions of a common fragment ion characteristic of the spirolide toxin which was known to contain a cyclic imine ring. Accurate mass measurements were subsequently used to con\ufb01rm the molecular formula of each biotransformation product. Using this approach, a total of nine phase I metabolites was successfully identi\ufb01ed with deviations of mass accuracy less than 2 ppm. The biotransformations observed included hydroxylation, dihydroxylation, oxidation of a quaternary methyl group to hydroxymethyl or carboxylic acid groups, dehydrogenation and hydroxylation, as well as demethylation and dihydroxylation reactions. In a second step, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was performed to elucidate structures of the metabolites. Using the unique fragment ions in the spectra, the structures of the three major metabolites, 13,19-didesmethyl-19-carboxy spirolide C, 13,19-didesmethyl-19-hydroxymethyl spirolide C and 13-desmethyl-17-hydroxy spirolide C, were assigned. Levels of 13-desmethyl spirolide C and its metabolites were monitored at selected time points over a 32-h incubation period with human liver microsomes. It was determined that 13,19-didesmethyl-19-carboxy spirolide C became the predominant metabolite after 2 h of incubation. The stability plot of 13-desmethyl spirolide C showed \ufb01rst-order kinetics for its metabolism and the intrinsic clearance was calculated to be 41 mL/min/mg, suggesting \ufb01rst-pass metabolism may contribute to limiting oral toxicity of 13-desmethyl spirolide C.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Identification of polymorphism in ethylone hydrochloride: synthesis and characterization

Ethylone, a synthetic cathinonewith psychoactive properties, is a designer drugwhich has appeared on the recreational drugmarket in recent years. Since 2012, illicit shipments of ethylone hydrochloride have been intercepted with increasing frequency at the Canadian border. Analysis has revealed that ethylone hydrochloride exists as two istinct polymorphs. In addition, severalminor impurities were detected in some seized exhibits. In this study, the two conformational polymorphs of ethylone hydrochloride have been synthesized and fully characterized by FTIR, FT-Raman, powder XRD, GC-MS, ESI-MS/MS and NMR (13C CPMAS, 1H, 13C). The two polymorphs can be distinguished by vibrational spectroscopy, solid-state nuclearmagnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The FTIR data are applied to the identification of both polymorphs of ethylone hydrochloride (mixed with methylone hydrochloride) in a laboratory submission labelled as ’Ocean Snow Ultra’. The data presented in this study will assist forensic scientists in the differentiation of the two ethylone hydrochloride polymorphs. This report, alongside our recent article on the single crystal X-ray structure of a second polymorph of this synthetic cathinone, is the first to confirm polymorphism in ethylone hydrochloride

Inversion twinning in a second polymorph of the hydrochloride salt of the recreational drug ethylone

A second polymorph of the hydrochloride salt of the recreational drug ethylone, C12H16NO3+·Cl−, is reported [systematic name: (±)-2-ethylammonio-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)propane-1-one chloride]. This polymorph, denoted form (A), appears in crystallizations performed above 308 K. The originally reported form (B) [Woodet al.(2015).Acta Cryst. C71, 32–38] crystallizes preferentially at room temperature. The conformations of the cations in the two forms differ by a 180° rotation about the C—C bond linking the side chain to the aromatic ring. Hydrogen bonding links the cations and anions in both forms into similar extended chains in which any one chain contains only a single enantiomer of the chiral cation, but the packing of the ions is different. In form (A), the aromatic rings of adjacent chains interleave, but pack equally well if neighbouring chains contain the same or opposite enantiomorph of the cation. The consequence of this is then near perfect inversion twinning in the structure. In form (B), neighbouring chains are always inverted, leading to a centrosymmetric space group. The question as to why the polymorphs crystallize at slightly different temperatures has been examined by density functional theory (DFT) and lattice energy calculations and a consideration of packing compactness. The free energy (ΔG) of the crystal lattice for polymorph (A) lies some 52 kJ mol−1above that of polymorph (B).</jats:p