Patent ID: 6881837

Claim:
A method for the production of a mixture of isomers comprising S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), said process comprising: (a) producing 5′-chloromethyl adenosine hydrochloride by reacting adenosine with thionyl chloride and pyridine at a temperature in the range of 30-35° C., (b) producing L-homocysteine by treating L-methionine with sodium metal in the presence of water and liquid ammonia at −30 to −40° C., (c) condensing 5′-chloromethyl adenosine hydrochloride with L-homocysteine in the presence of water and potassium iodide at 70 to 80° C. to obtain S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH), purifying the product by acid-base technique, and (d) subjecting SAil to methylation using a methylating agent selected from the group consisting of trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate (TMOTFB), trimethyloxonium p-toluenesulfonate, trimethyloxonium hexafluorophosphate, trimethyloxonium hexafluoroantimonate, trimethyloxonium alkane/aryl sulfonate, dimethoxycarbenium tetrafluoroborate and O-methyldibenzofuranium tetrafluoroborate in the presence of a solvent to obtain a mixture of isomers comprising 60% to 65% e.e. of S-adenosyl-L-methionine.