B. Norpseudoephedrine
Synonyms Cathine; Katine; Nor-y-ephedrine.
Biological Sources It occurs naturally as the D-threo-form in the leaves of the khat plant, Catha edulis Forsk. (Celastraceae), which is widely found as an evergreen shrub native to Southern Arabia and Ethiopia. It is also found in relatively smaller amounts in the South American tree Maytenus krukovii A.C. Smith (Celastraceae); and in the mother liquors obtained from Ma Huang after the recovery of ephedrine.
Chemical Structure
(R*, R*)-α-(1-Aminoethyl)-benzenemethanol.
Isolation It is isolated from the plant material as described under (A) in this section.
Characteristic Features The various physical parameters of different forms of norpseudoephedrine are summarized below:
Uses
1. It is widely employed as an anorexic.
2. It is also used in the optical resolution of externally compensated acids.
