Alanine

Alanine
Names
	IUPAC name Alanine
	Other names 2-Aminopropanoic acid
Identifiers
CAS number	338-69-2
PubChem	5950
KEGG	C01401
ChEBI	CHEBI:16977
SMILES	O=C(O)C(N)C
	InChI
Properties
Molecular formula	C3H7NO2
Molar mass	89.08 g mol-1
Appearance	white powder
Density	1.424 g/cm3
Melting point	258 °C, 531 K, 496 °F
Solubility in water	167.2 g/L (25 °C)
log P	-0.68
Acidity (pKa)	2.34 (carboxyl; H2O); 9.87 (amino; H2O);
Magnetic susceptibility (χ)	-50.5·10−6 cm3/mol

Alanine (abbreviated as Ala or A)^[3] is an α-amino acid. It has the chemical formula CH₃CH(NH₂)COOH.

The L-isomer is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the genetic code. Its codons are GCU, GCC, GCA, and GCG. It is classified as a non-polar amino acid.^[4]

L-Alanine accounts for 7.8% of the primary structure in a sample of 1,150 proteins.^[5]^[6] Leucine is the only amino acid which is more common.

Alanine Media

Spin view of ball-stick model
Synthesis of alanine*Kendall, E. C.; McKenzie, B. F. (1941). "dl-Alanine". Org. Synth.; Coll. Vol. 1: 21.
Synthesis of alanine*Kendall, E. C.; McKenzie, B. F. (1941). "dl-Alanine". Org. Synth.; Coll. Vol. 1: 21.
(S)-Alanine (left) and (R)-alanine (right) in zwitterionic form at neutral pH

↑ L-alanine_msds.
↑ CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (2016)CRC Press. p. 5–88. ISBN 978-1498754286.
↑ Nomenclature and symbolism for amino acids and peptides. IUPAC-IUB Recommendations 1983. Pure Appl. Chem. 56 (5), 1984: 595–624.
↑ Non-polar: electrons shared so that there is no difference in electric charge between different parts of the molecule.
↑ Doolittle, R. F.. Prediction of protein structures and the principles of protein conformation (1989). New York: Plenum. p. 599–623. ISBN 0-306-43131-9.
↑ Primary structure: the exact specification of its atomic structure and its chemical bonds.