Phenyl-2-nitropropene
chemical compound
1-Phenyl-2-nitropropene, or simply phenyl-2-nitropropene, or P2NP, as it is commonly referred to, is a chemical compound from the aromatic group of compounds, with the formula C9H9NO2. It is a light-yellow crystalline solid with a distinct smell. Phenyl-2-nitropropene is used in the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture the drug Adderall, an amphetamine mixture used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. P2NP and other similar nitrostyrenes are also employed in the clandestine manufacture of drugs of the amphetamine class, and are listed as drug precursors in many countries.
Uses
In the pharmaceutical industry, P2NP is used to produce a racemic amphetamine mixture, branded under the trade names Adderall and Mydayis, amongst others. In this case, the double bond is hydrogenated and the nitro group is reduced, thus 1-phenyl-2-nitropropene becomes 1-phenyl-2-aminopropane, which is another name for amphetamine. Different reducing agents commonly include lithium aluminium hydride (LAH), sodium borohydride, aluminum amalgam or Raney nickel are used in suitable solvents like isopropyl alcohol or tetrahydrofuran.
The above diagram depicts P2NP reduction to amphetamine by either LAH, sodium amalgam, Raney nickel, or palladium used as catalysts. Platinum, in the form of Adams' catalyst, can also be used.
P2NP can also be reduced to phenylacetone (P2P), the precursor in the synthesis of methamphetamine by a few methods.
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