Lonza Ag

Thomas Ruppen

Stefan Hildbrand

Dario Veghini

Cyanoacetamides of the formula: and corresponding salts thereof; N-(cyanoacetyl)-L-histidines, of the formula: and salts, tautomers and esters thereof; and N-(cyanoacetyl)-3-methyl-L-histidines of the formula: and salts and esters thereof.

Method for preparing &#x3b2;-alaninamides

&#x3b2;-alaninamides of the general formulaWherein Ris hydrogen or Calkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted with hyroxy, amino, carboxy, carbamoyl, methylmercapto, guanidino, unsubstituted or substituted aryl or heteroaryl, and Ris hydrogen, or Rand Rtogether form a group of the formula &#x2014;(CH)&#x2014; where n is 3 or 4, and Ris hydrogen, a negative charge compensated by an equivalent of an inorganic or organic cation or is Calkyl, are prepared, without using an amino-protective group, by reacting the corresponding &#x3b1;-amino acid or the corresponding &#x3b1;-amino acid ester with a cyanoacetic ester to give a cyanoacetamide and by subsequent catalytic hydrogenation. The method is particularly suitable for preparing carnosine (&#x3b2;-alanyl-L-histidine, R=imidazol-4-yl-methyl, R=R=H), a naturally occurring dipeptide which used as a dietary supplement with antioxidative action.

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Naters, Switzerland

Thomas Ruppen