Platinum reduction for THH?

[Hyperdimensional Cuttlefish]

Was looking at my contact lens cleaning kit... it has a platinum coated plastic disc in it and I started pondering.

If platinum is inert in reduction reactions, could you use it (or platinum/rhodium in catalytic converters) to circumvent product contamination with metal salts?

If so, it could be quite easy to obtain either of the two for a vinegar and metal reduction to make THH, right?

I don't have any specs on the contact lens cleaner disc, just manufacturer product statements that the disc is platinum.

If so, these cases are easily acquired at any grocery/drug store.

 

[Loveall]

What an interesting idea

The disk you refer to is black looking. Seems to me that this is "Platinum black", which is Pt prepared in a way that optimizes it as a catalyst I believe.

I think this is worth trying. But, not to reduce harmaline to THH since amines are not typically reduced by a Pt catalyst. However, it may reduce harmine to harmaline since Pt is good at alkene reduction. Anyone have more info? Has this been tried?

I think one would need a source of hydrogen too. For example, IPA (which would become acetone). Or for example H2 gas from Zn acetate formation during the tried and true Harmalime to THH reduction.

This is a different situation as in the tried and true Zn dust reduction, where the Zn dust is oxidized into a salt and used up (and usually cleaned up with ammonia rinses).

Something like this may be worth trying unless someone sees an issue apriori:

-Dissolve harmime in vinegar: this is to have a low pH that would help the reaction and to easilly keep harmine in solution.
-Add some IPA: this is would be a source of hydrogen.
-Put Platinum black disk in the mixture
-Allow to react (may want heat)

Now basify to crash out Harmalime (?). You should be able to tell if the reaction occured by the pH at witch precipitation begins.

Alternatively, throw in a black Platinum disk into Harmine/Harmalime during the typical Zn vinegar solution reaction we use to get THH from harmaline. The H2 bubbles could be a source of hydrogen. Now you may end up with everything being converted to THH (?). That would be cool.

Some interesting links on this subject:

Hydrogenation - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

This

Adams' catalyst - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

None of this may work. It could be worth a test though.