Patent ID: 6949658

Claim:
A process for producing an optically active α-amino acid and optically active α-amino acid amide which comprises: substituting a water solvent of an aqueous solution containing an optically active α-amino acid and a corresponding optically active α-amino amide with n-butanol, and wherein the α-amino acid is represented by formula (I): wherein R 1 and R 2 maybe the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, lower alkyl, substituted lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, substituted lower alkenyl, cycloalkyl, phenyl, substituted phenyl, heterocycle, and substituted heterocycle; and the α-amino amide is represented by formula (II): wherein R 1 and R 2 may be the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, lower alkyl, substituted lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, substituted lower alkenyl, cycloalkyl, phenyl, substituted phenyl, heterocyole, and substituted heterocycle, wherein the R 1 and R 2 substituents in formula (I) and formula (II) are the same.