PROCESS FOR PRODUCING OPTICALLY ACTIVE PHENYLALANINE

摘要

This invention relates to a process for producing optically active phenylalanine, characterized by optically resolving DL-phenylalanine.optically active mandelic acid complexes in an aqueous solvent in the presence of an acidic compound having a pKa value of 0.90 to 2.10 and isolating optically active phenylalanine from the obtained optically active phenylalanine.optically active mandelic acid complex. According to the process of the present invention, it is possible to decrease the amount of a mother liquor of resolution to 1/5 to 1/10 of that when no acidic compound is used and to obtain optically active phenylalanine having an optical purity of as high as 96.5% or above without a step of optical purification when optically active phenylalanine is isolated from the obtained optically active phenylalanine.optically active mandelic acid complex.