A Facile Method of Preparing L-α-Methyl DOPA (L-3- (3, 4-Dihydroxyphenyl) -2-methylalanine)

Abstract

To develop a practical method for production of L-α-methyl DOPA, the optical resolution of its precursor, DL-3- (3, 4-methylenedioxyphenyl) -2-methylalanine, was studied. The monohydrochloride of DL-3- (3, 4-methylenedioxyphenyl) -2-methylalanine was resolved by a preferential crystallization procedure. Optically pure L-α-methyl DOPA was obtained in good yield. Industrial production of L-α-methyl DOPA by the present simple method is considered to be very promising.