Chemical Synthesis
Phencyclidine is not naturally obtained, therefore there is no natural abundance.
Can be synthesized by using the two methods below:
Method 1:
A mixture of 100 g of anhydrous ethylamine and 220 g of cyclohexanone is kept 16 hours, shaken with solid KOH, and the oil layer is removed by decantationDistill the oil layer in vacuo to get N-cyclohexylidenethylamine
Prepare a mixture of phenyllithium by mixing 11 g of lithium and 76 ml PhBr in 500 ml of Et20
Add the phenyllithium dropwise to a solution of 51 g of the N-cyclohexylidenethylamine in 500 ml of Et20, with stirring and cooling, to keep the temp at 0¡
Stir for one hour and then decompose by adding water
Separate the Et20 layer, wash with H20 and distill to get 1- phenylcyclohexylethylamine or analog
Method 2:
A mixture of 170 g of piperidine, 220 g of cyclohexylamine, and 750 ml of benzene is azeotropically distilled until the evolution of H20 stops, then vacuum distill to get cyclohexenyl-piperidine
p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate (190 g) in 250 ml of PhMe is heated under a water trap until all the H20 is removed
add a solution of 165 g of cyclohexyl-piperidine in 500 ml of Et20, with cooling, to keep temp at 0¡
A solution of I mole of PhMgBr (made from 157 g of PhBr and 24 g of Mg) in 750 ml of Et20 is added (still holding the temp at 0¡ to 5¡)
The mixture is stirred for an additional 30 min after the dropwise addition is complete
Decompose the mixture by adding an excess saturated NH4Cl and NH40H
The Et20 layer is removed, dried over K2CO3, and distilled to give phenylcyclohexylpiperidine
Convert to the hydrochloride form by dissolving the free base in an excess of iso-PrOH-HC1 and then precipitate the salt (the hydrochloride) with Et20 and crystallize from Et20-iso-PrOH (this is a mixture).
