P2p Oil

P2p oil or Phenylacetone oil, also known as phenyl-2-propanone, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C₆H₅CH₂COCH₃. It is a colorless oil that is soluble in organic solvents. It is a mono substituted benzene derivative, consisting of an acetone attached to a phenyl group. As such, its systematic IUPAC name is 1-phenyl-2-propanone.

This substance is used in the manufacture of methamphetamine and  amphetamine, where it is commonly known as P2P. Due to illicit drug labs using phenylacetone to make amphetamines.

In humans, phenylacetone occurs as a metabolite of amphetamine and  methamphetamine via FMO3-mediated oxidative deamination

P2p Oil Synthesis

There are many routes to synthesize phenylacetone. Industry uses the gas-phase ketonic decarboxylation of phenylacetic acid using acetic acid over a ceria-alumina solid acid catalyst. A related laboratory-scale reaction has been described.

An alternative route is zeolite-catalyzed isomerization of phenyl propylene oxide. Another laboratory synthesis involves conventional routes including the Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction of chloroacetone with benzene in the presence of aluminum chloride catalyst.

Phenylacetone Oil

Phenylacetone is an intermediate in the biodegradation of amphetamine. In the human liver, flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) deaminates amphetamines into phenylacetone, which is non-toxic to humans. Phenylacetone is oxidized to benzoic acid, which is converted to hippuric acid by glycine N-acyltransferase (GLYAT) enzymes prior to excretion.

Phenylacetone can undergo para-hydroxylation to 4-hydroxyphenylacetone, which occurs as a metabolite of amphetamine in the human body