Alanine is one of the twenty proteinogenic (part of the proteins of all living organisms) amino acids. The optical isomer (enantiomer) L-alanine is of biological importance. Alanine is also part of a number of biologically active compounds. It is a non-essential amino acid (the human body is able to synthesize it). In the laboratory, it is synthesized from propionic acid via α-chloropropionic acid. The melting point of alanine is 295–316 °C. Alanine (2-aminopropanoic acid) is synthesized in muscles from lactic acid and also comes from food. In the liver, the amino acid is converted into glucose, which is an important component of the process of its production and conversion into energy, it regulates blood sugar levels. In medicine, it is often used as a means of preventing hypoglycemia. There are two forms of alanine in the human body: alpha-alanine and beta-alanine. Proteins are built from the alpha form, and the beta form is a part of pantothenic acid and of various biologically active compounds. The body also uses alanine as a building block for carnosine. Carnosine maintains the acid-base balance, prevents rapid aging and increases endurance. Alanine and carnosine were discovered in 1888 by the Australian scientist T. Weil. The presented work shows the results of studies in the field of determination of alinane and its derivatives by various physicochemical methods of analysis.
