Specification
Description
L-Alanine, a non-essential amino acid, is produced enzymatically from L-aspartate using aspartate β-decarboxylase. It is the smallest among all the aminoacids.
Synonyms
(S)-2-Aminopropionic acid, L-α-Aminopropionic acid
Canonical SMILES
C[C@H](N)C(O)=O
InChI
1S/C3H7NO2/c1-2(4)3(5)6/h2H,4H2,1H3,(H,5,6)/t2-/m0/s1
InChI Key
QNAYBMKLOCPYGJ-REOHCLBHSA-N
Solubility
H2O: soluble 89.1 g/l at 20 degrees c
diethyl ether: insoluble
ethanol: soluble (cold 80%)
Application
L-Alanine is used as a standard to determine absolute concentration of a protein within a mixture of other proteins measured with SI traceability.
Biochem Physiol Actions
Alanine is a nonessential amino acid that plays a key role in the glucose-alanine cycle between muscle tissue and the liver. In amino acid-degrading tissues such as muscle, amino groups are pooled as glutamate by transamination reactions. The amino group of glutamate is transferred to pyruvate via alanine aminotransferase, forming alanine and α-ketoglutarate. The alanine is passed into the blood and transported to the liver. This reaction is reversed in the liver where pyruvate can be used in gluconeogenesis to form glucose, which may return to other tissues through the circulatory system. Increased alanine levels correlate with higher blood pressure, energy intake, cholesterol levels, and body mass index.
Impurity Content
≤0.3% foreign amino acids
Optical Activity
[α]20/D +14.0±1°, c = 5% in 5 M HCl