Process for separation of serotonine.

摘要

A process for the separation of serotonine from coffee wax wherein a solution of coffee wax is subjected to alkaline hydrolysis using a strong base in the presence of water in an inert atmosphere after which the reaction medium containing the serotonine is recovered characterised in that the solvent for the coffee wax is a compound having the general formula II:
<Chemistry id="chema01" num="0001"><Image id="ia01" he="8" wi="61" file="IMGA0001.TIF" imgContent="chem" imgFormat="TIFF" inline="no" /></Chemistry>wherein R is hydrogen or an alkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, x is 0 or 1 and is an integer from 2 to 4 with the proviso that x cannot be 1 when n is 3 or 4. N-acetyl serotonine is prepared by acetylating serotonine to N, O-diacetyl serotonine and then selectively hydrolysing the O-acetyl group. Melatonine is obtained by methylating N-acetyl serotonine in the 5-position. Mexamine is obtained by de-acetylating melatonine in a hot alkaline solution containing a water-insoluble alcohol and acidifying the alcohol phase with hydrochloric acid.