Liquid Chromatographic and Mass Spectral Analysis of 1-(3,4-Methylenedioxyphenyl)-1-ethanamines: Homologues of 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamines

Abstract

The deletion of a methylene unit from the arylamine side chain of the 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamines (MDAs) produces the homologous 1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-1-ethanamines. These ethanamines were prepared via reductive amination of the corresponding ketone with a series of N-alkylamines. Analytical methods were developed to distinguish these compounds from the MDA series. The ethanamines were separated under reversed-phase1 iquid chromatographic conditions using a c18 stationary phase and a mobile phase of aqueous acidic (pH3) acetonitrite containing triethylamine. The electron impact mass spectra of the ethanamines were determined by GC-MS and the fragmentation pattern clearly distinguishes these compounds from those of the MDA series having the same molecular weight.