Cysteine methyl ester is the

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

with the formula HSCH₂CH(NH₂)CO₂CH₃. A white solid, it is the methyl

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...

of the

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...

cysteine Cysteine (symbol Cys or C; ) is a semiessential proteinogenic amino acid with the formula . The thiol side chain in cysteine often participates in enzymatic reactions as a nucleophile. When present as a deprotonated catalytic residue, sometime ...

Uses

Under the brand name Mecysteine, cysteine methyl ester is a commercial drug with

mucolytic Mucoactive agents are a class of chemical agents that aid in the clearance of mucus or sputum from the upper and lower airways, including the lungs, bronchi, and trachea. Mucoactive drugs include expectorants, mucolytics, mucoregulators, and mucok ...

activity. It is used as mucolytic and fluidifying for chronic and acute respiratory disorders. The drug is sold under the commercial names Delta in Paraguay, and Pectite and Zeotin in Japan. Cysteine methyl ester is also used as a building block for synthesis of N,S-

heterocycle A heterocyclic compound or ring structure is a cyclic compound that has atoms of at least two different chemical element, elements as members of its ring(s). Heterocyclic chemistry is the branch of organic chemistry dealing with the synthesis ...

References

Expectorants Amino acid derivatives Methyl esters Thiols Sulfur amino acids {{Respiratory-system-drug-stub