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

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.