Process for making levoamphetamine

A process of making levoamphetamine sulfate, said process comprising:

• preparing an in situ phenyl magnesium bromide from a reaction of bromobenzene with magnesium in the presence of catalytic diisobutyl aluminum hydride (DIBAL) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) refluxing at a temperature of 60 deg Celsius;
• reacting a compound of Formula 4
• with the in situ phenyl magnesium bromide and a copper catalyst under solvent and temperature conditions effective to produce a compound of Formula 5 having a regioisomeric purity >99%:
• wherein R is alkyl or aryl;
• and
• deprotecting the compound of Formula 5 at a temperature of 80 deg Celsius and under acidic conditions effective to produce levoamphetamine free base
• and then levoamphetamine sulfate of Formula I:
• wherein the solvent conditions for preparing the compound of Formula 5 comprise a crystallization step requiring a mixture of two or more solvents, wherein one of the two or more solvents is residue THF.