Patent ID: 8779190

Claim:
A process for producing a sulfur-containing amino acid represented by the following formula (1) or a salt thereof: wherein R 1 is an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms and optionally having substituents or a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 12 carbon atoms and optionally having substituents, and n is an integral number of from 1 to 4, comprising a step of reacting a salt of a sulfur-containing 2-ketocarboxylic acid represented by the formula (2): wherein R 1 and n mean the same as defined above, with ammonia and hydrogen in the presence of a transition metal catalyst, wherein the transition metal catalyst is selected from the group consisting of palladium supported on an activated carbon, rhodium supported on an activated carbon, sponge nickel, sponge cobalt and sponge copper catalysts.