How do you synthesize a methalated alkaloid?

Answer 1

methalated - no such thing ... methylated - yes this is so ...

to methylate: R-H + MeH ... -> R-Me typically requires a good leaving group
to form the C-C bond.

For instance ... R-OH + ButylLi -> R-Li + MeI -> R-Me + LiI ...
in this most general case methyl iodide displaces a Lithiated intermediate,
which then is C-C formed via halogenated methyl reagent.

This is classic synthetic organic chem - and if this question is related to illicit drug synthesis, then I think you are asking in the wrong forum (i.e. psuedo ephedrine ... etc) .

cheers,
chem e

Answer 2

I presume you mean a "methylated" alkaloid.

You could use any of a number of known synthetic methods to add a methyl group. It depends on what functional groups you have to work with. You could do it with enolates, Grignard reagents, Gilman Reagents, etc.

ChemE:

If you use butyl lithium on R-OH, you'd expect the alcohol to be deprotonated. Reacting it with MeI would be an SN2-type Williamson ether synthesis. Atleast that's what it looks like from here.

Answer 3

using synthetics, obviously.
i would probably use a positively charged ion or a magnet.

Answer 4

with iron