LEVODOPA

PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION

CAS NO. 59-92-7

LEVODOPA

EINECS NO. 200-445-2
FORMULA (HO)2C6H3CH2CH(NH2)COOH
MOL WT. 197.19

H.S. CODE

 

TOXICITY

 
SYNONYMS 3,4-Dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine;
[3-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-L-Alanine]; L-3-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)alanine; 3-hydroxy-L-tyrosine; L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine; L-beta-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)alanine; L-Dihydroxyphenyl-L- alanine;
SMILES

 

CLASSIFICATION

 

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

PHYSICAL STATE white to creamy crystalline powder
MELTING POINT 295 C
BOILING POINT

 

SPECIFIC GRAVITY

 

SOLUBILITY IN WATER Soluble

SOLVENT SOLUBILITY

 
pH  
VAPOR DENSITY

 

AUTOIGNITION

 

NFPA RATINGS

 

REFRACTIVE INDEX

 

FLASH POINT

 

STABILITY Stable under ordinary conditions. Air, light sensitive.

APPLICATIONS

Levodopa, naturally occurring L- form dopa [(-)-3-(3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl)-L-alanine] is used as an anticholinergic drug and used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease in which dopamine deficit is seen. It is used sometimes in combination with carbidopa [(-)-L-(alpha-hydrazino- (alpha-methyl-beta- (3,4-dihydroxybenzene) propanoic acid], an inhibitor of aromatic amino acid decarboxylation and entacapone [(E)-2-cyano-3-(3,4- dihydroxy -5- nitrophenyl)-N,N-diethyl- 2-propenamide], an inhibitor of catechol-O- methyltransferase. L-dopa is produced by oxidation of tyrosine by monophenol monooxygenase in the body. It is decarboxylated to dopamine by the enzyme aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase. It acts as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of other catecholamines (norepinephrine, epinephrine), and melanin. It is a white crystalline powder; slightly soluble in water, in dilute hydrochloric acid and in formic acid; insoluble in ethanol.
SALES SPECIFICATION

BP2000

APPEARANCE

white to creamy crystalline powder

IDENTIFICATION

Complies

SOLUTION CLARITY

Complies

pH

4.5 - 7.0

OPTICAL ROTATION

-1.27° ~ -1.34°

HEAVY METALS

10ppm max

SULFATED ASH

0.1% max

LOSS ON DRYING

1.0% max

CONTENT

99.0% - 101.0%

TRANSPORTATION
PACKING

 

HAZARD CLASS  
UN NO.  
OTHER INFORMATION
Hazard Symbols: XN, Risk Phrases: 22-36/37/38, Safety Phrases: 26-36

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CATECHOLAMINE

Catecholamine: a group of naturally occurring sympathomimetic amines that have important physiological functions within the body as neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and hormones in the blood circulation. Catecholamines are biogenic amines considered as sympathomimetic drugs; They are characterized by a catechol group [The ortho (1,2) isomer of dihydroxybenzene] to which is attached an amine group (the aromatic portion of whose molecule is catechol, and the aliphatic portion an amine). The most abundant catecholamines in the body are epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and dopamine. They are derived from the tyrosine, an amino acid (protein building block) that is the precursor of norepinephrine. (The prefix nor- describes normal structure which has no branched chain of carbon atoms. In case of norepinephrine, it has one less methylene group than its homologue, epinephrine.) Catecholamines belong to a broader class of compounds called phenethylamines which contain structurally amino acid, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Phenethylamine is a backbone for the compounds which take roles of alkaloids as well as hormones and neurotransmitters in nature.  Amphetamine is the substituted phenethylamine by methyl group at alpha position. It  is a synthetic drug used as a diet suppressant and to treat narcolepsy and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). But amphetamines can produce severe psychological dependence, including cardiac irregularities and gastric disturbances. Chronic use often results in extreme exhaustion and malnutrition.  Substituted phenethylamines are:

PHENETHYLAMINES