Cyanoalanine
{{Chembox
| ImageFile = 3-Cyano-L-alanine.svg
| ImageSize = 200px
| ImageAlt =
| IUPACName = (2S)-2-Amino-3-cyanopropanoic acid
| OtherNames = 3-Cyano-L-alanine
β-Cyanoalanine
3-Cyanoalanine
|Section1={{Chembox Identifiers
| CASNo = 6232-19-5
| CASNo_Ref = {{cascite|correct|CAS}}
| UNII_Ref = {{fdacite|correct|FDA}}
| UNII = B75AJA4DCJ
| PubChem = 439742
| ChemSpiderID = 388802
| KEGG = C02512
| ChEBI = 132546
| 3DMet = B01594
| StdInChI=1S/C4H6N2O2/c5-2-1-3(6)4(7)8/h3H,1,6H2,(H,7,8)/t3-/m0/s1
| InChIKey = BXRLWGXPSRYJDZ-VKHMYHEASA-N
| SMILES = C(C#N)C(C(=O)O)N}}
|Section2={{Chembox Properties
| C=4|H=6|N=2|O=2
| Appearance = White solid
| Density =
| MeltingPt =
| BoilingPt =
| Solubility = }}
|Section3={{Chembox Hazards
| MainHazards =
| FlashPt =
| AutoignitionPt = }}
}}
Cyanoalanine (more accurately β-Cyano-L-alanine) is an amino acid with the formula NCCH2CH(NH2)CO2H. Like most amino acids, it exists as a tautomer NCCH2CH(NH3+)CO2−. It is a rare example of a nitrile-containing amino acid. It is a white, water-soluble solid. It can be found in common vetch seeds.
Cyanoalanine arises in nature by the action of cyanide on cysteine catalyzed by L-3-cyanoalanine synthase:{{cite journal|title=Enzymatic mechanism and biochemistry for cyanide degradation: A review|author1=Gupta, Neha |author2=Balomajumder, Chandrajit |author3=Agarwal, V. K. |journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials| year=2010|volume =176|issue=1–3|pages=1–13|doi=10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.11.038|pmid=20004515}}
:HSCH2CH(NH2)CO2H + HCN → NCCH2CH(NH2)CO2H + H2S
It is converted to aspartic acid and asparagine enzymatically.