This is almost certainly
illegal wherever you live, and is also dangerous.
Don't do it, just consider it a lesson in practical
organic chemistry.
MDMA is desirable to many people, either for personal use, or for
resale. It is also illegal. Many of the chemical
precursors useful for making it are also illegal.
Classicly, the easiest way to synth MDMA is;
CH2-CH=CH2
____/
/ \
/(BENZ)\
\ /
\____/
/ \
O O
\ /
\ /
CH2
Safrole, from the
sassafras tree, is
isomerised using KOH to
CH=CH-CH3
____/
/ \
/(BENZ)\
\ /
\____/
/ \
O O
\ /
\ /
CH2
Isosafrole, which can the be reacted with HBr to give;
CH2-CHBr-CH3
____/
/ \
/(BENZ)\
\ /
\____/
/ \
O O
\ /
\ /
CH2
Which reacts, under
pressure, with
methylamine to give
CH2 NH
____/ \ / \
/ \ CH CH3
/(BENZ)\ |
\ / CH3
\____/
/ \
O O
\ /
\ /
CH2
MDMA. This is not the best synthesis in terms of conditions, or yield, but it's by far the simplest.
However, safrole is now rather hard to get hold of, precisely because it is so easy to
synth MDMA from it. It is however, possible for the imaginative chemist to prepare saffarole from easily available Oil of
Cloves (
Eugenol) or Oil of
Nutmeg (Isoeugenol). In fact, one could even prepare these chemicals from cloves or nutmegs. From isoeugenol,
CH=CH-CH3
____/
/ \
/(BENZ)\
\ /
\____/
/ \
O OH
\
CH3
can, in soloution with CH2Cl2, be reacted with
pyridine, to give;
CH=CH-CH3
____/
/ \
/(BENZ)\
\ /
\____/
/ \
OH OH
which can then be methylnated, with further CH2Cl2 (this time as a reagent), to give isosafrole. Or in other words, with rather easily available precursors, you can turn nutmegs into
ecstasy.