An unusual clandestine laboratory synthesis of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA)

Terry A Dal Cason; Charlotte A Corbett; Peter K Poole; James A de Haseth; David K Gouldthorpe

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.10.002

An unusual clandestine laboratory synthesis of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA)

Forensic Sci Int. 2012 Nov 30;223(1-3):279-91. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.10.002. Epub 2012 Oct 30.

Authors

Terry A Dal Cason¹, Charlotte A Corbett, Peter K Poole, James A de Haseth, David K Gouldthorpe

Affiliation

¹ DEA North Central Laboratory, Chicago, IL 60605, United States. dalcason@juno.com

PMID: 23116634
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.10.002

Abstract

An unknown compound from a putative clandestine laboratory was analyzed by GC-MS, GC-IRD, IR (ATR), and NMR and found to be α-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyphenylpropionamide (MMDPPA), an unusual precursor for the synthesis of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), a Schedule I controlled substance. A portion of this precursor was subjected to the Hofmann Degradation (i.e., Hofmann Rearrangement) reaction using a sodium hypochlorite solution (bleach) to produce the expected compound, MDA. When excess hypochlorite was used in the reaction, a second, unexpected, compound was formed. Use of the listed instrumentation identified the new material as 2-chloro-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine, a compound not previously identified in the forensic literature.