Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)
sarcosine
Sign in to saveAlso known as 2-(methylamino)acetic acid, N-methylglycine, methylglycine
Sarcosine, also known as '''N-methylglycine, or monomethylglycine', is a non-proteinogenic amino acid with the formula CH3N(H)CH2CO2H. It is the N''-methyl derivative of glycine, with a secondary amine in place of the primary amine, and occurs naturally in muscles and other body tissues as an intermediate in the metabolism of choline to glycine. It was first isolated and named by the German chemist Justus von Liebig in 1847.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C3H7NO2
- Molecular weight
- 89.09 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 2-(methylamino)acetic acid
- SMILES
- CNCC(=O)O
- InChIKey
- FSYKKLYZXJSNPZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- XLogP
- -2.8
- Polar surface area
- 49.3 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 2
- H-bond acceptors
- 3
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
Research
3,617 papers- Sarcosine decreases in sarcopenia and enhances muscle regeneration and adipose thermogenesis by activating anti-inflammatory macrophages.Nature aging · 2025
- Ketamine, benzoate, and sarcosine for treating depression.Neuropharmacology · 2023
- Sarcosine as an add-on treatment to antipsychotic medication for people with schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Expert opinion on drug metabolism & toxicology · 2021
- Quantitative analysis of sarcosine with special emphasis on biosensors: a review.Biomarkers : biochemical indicators of exposure, response, and susceptibility to chemicals · 2019
- Sarcosine in the management of schizophrenia.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2020
via PubMed
~8 min read
Encyclopedic overview
14 sectionsContents
- Chemistry
- Industrial synthesis
- Surfactants
- Biochemistry
- Distribution
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacodynamics
- Pharmacokinetics
- Research
- Schizophrenia
- Prostate cancer
- History
- See also
- References
Sarcosine, also known as '''N-methylglycine, or monomethylglycine', is a non-proteinogenic amino acid with the formula CH3N(H)CH2CO2H. It is the N-methyl derivative of glycine, with a secondary amine in place of the primary amine, and occurs naturally in muscles and other body tissues as an intermediate in the metabolism of choline to glycine. It was first isolated and named by the German chemist Justus von Liebig in 1847.
Sarcosine is ubiquitous in biological materials. It is used in manufacturing biodegradable surfactants and toothpastes as well as in other applications. It is also a reagent in organic synthesis. It has a mildly sweet taste.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “sarcosine” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.