Aminoacetone is the

organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...

with the formula CH₃C(O)CH₂NH₂. Although stable in the gaseous form, once condensed it reacts with itself. The protonated derivative forms isolable salts, e.g. aminoacetone hydrochloride ( H₃C(O)CH₂NH₃l)). The

semicarbazone In organic chemistry, a semicarbazone is a derivative of imines formed by a condensation reaction between a ketone or aldehyde and semicarbazide. They are classified as imine derivatives because they are formed from the reaction of an aldehyde ...

of the hydrochloride is another bench-stable precursor. Aminoacetone is a metabolite that is implicated in the biosynthesis of

methylglyoxal Methylglyoxal (MGO) is the organic compound with the formula CH3C(O)CHO. It is a reduced derivative of pyruvic acid. It is a reactive compound that is implicated in the biology of diabetes. Methylglyoxal is produced industrially by degradation ...

. Aminoacetone is also produced during catabolism of the

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

threonine Threonine (symbol Thr or T) is an amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH form when dissolved in water), a carboxyl group (which is in the deprotonated −COO− ...

. Threonine is first dehydrogenated to 2-amino-3-oxobutyrate, which is unstable and spontaneously decarboxylates to aminoacetone. Aminoacetone is then oxidized and deaminated, giving 2-oxopropanal (methylglyoxal), which is in turn oxidized to

pyruvate Pyruvic acid (CH3COCOOH) is the simplest of the alpha-keto acids, with a carboxylic acid and a ketone functional group. Pyruvate, the conjugate base, CH3COCOO−, is an intermediate in several metabolic pathways throughout the cell. Pyruvic ...

. This pathway is the most important catabolic pathway of threonine in

mammals A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...

References

Amines Ketones {{amine-stub

See also

References