Phenyl-2-nitropropene (P2NP)

Description

Phenyl-2-nitropropene is a chemical compound with the chemical formula is C₉H₉NO₂. It can be produced by the reaction of benzaldehyde and nitroethane in the presence of a basic catalyst. In this reaction, the base deprotonates nitroethane to form a resonance stabilized anion. This anion nucleophilically adds to the aldehyde forming a beta nitro alcohol, which is subsequently dehydrated to yield the nitroalkene. This reaction is known as a nitroaldol reaction. Phenyl-2-nitropropene is used to make pharmaceuticals. It is used in pharmaceutical industry to manufacture drug Adderall, an amphetamine mixture, which is used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.

Phenyl-2-Nitropropene : 1 mol benzaldehyde, 1.2 mol nitroethane and 15 mL diluted aqueous methylamine in 150 mL alcohol. Stirred and slightly heated for ca 4 hours. The reaction mixture is brought over into a beaker and cooled in the fridge (4°C). If precipitation doesn’t commence at this point, water is poured in and the mixture put back in the fridge. The P2NP oil layer will slowly (or sometimes quickly) start forming a crystalline layer. If it doesn’t, scratching the wall with e.g. a glass rod will help. If even this won’t help, it means you probably fucked something up. The yields I have had using this “adaptation”: 81% (i-PrOH), 79% (i-PrOH), 75% (EtOH) and 71% (EtOH) (yields calculated after crystallizing once; I store my crystals in the freezer and also recrystallize them prior to use).

n2p by the use of Zinc activated with a temperature of 140-150 degred Celcius for 3 hr under N_{2 athmosphere… This compound shold take hard on a double bound and since Fe could be used to reduce pn2p to ketone maybe this activated Zn could do the same?? Has Anyone out there tryed this? I have done it but im not shure about the results, the reaction was wery exotermic and the solution turned red and thick and gasses of nitrogenoxide}