Method for producing alpha-amino acid

1. A method for producing an α-amino acid represented by the following general formula (2), comprising reacting an α-amino acid amide represented by the following general formula (1) with water in the presence of a zirconium compound which contains zirconium and at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of lithium, nickel, copper, zinc, cesium, barium, hafnium, tantalum, cerium, and dysprosium:

wherein

in the general formulae (1) and (2), R 1 is a hydrogen atom, an optionally substituted alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, an optionally substituted aryl group having a ring-constituting carbon number of 6 to 10, or an optionally substituted heteroaryl group having a ring-constituting atom number of 4 to 13.

2. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 1 , wherein the zirconium compound is a zirconium-containing oxide.

3. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 2 , wherein the zirconium-containing oxide comprises a complex metal oxide containing zirconium and at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of lithium, nickel, copper, zinc, cesium, barium, hafnium, tantalum, cerium, and dysprosium.

4. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 3 , wherein the zirconium-containing oxide comprises a supported type metal oxide in which a metal compound containing at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of lithium, nickel, copper, zinc, cesium, barium, hafnium, tantalum, cerium, and dysprosium is supported on (i) zirconium oxide or (ii) the complex metal oxide.

5. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 3 , wherein the content of the metal element other than zirconium in the complex metal oxide is 0.01 parts by mass or more and 100 parts by mass or less based on 100 parts by mass of zirconium.

6. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 4 , wherein the amount of the at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of lithium, nickel, copper, zinc, cesium, barium, hafnium, tantalum, cerium, and dysprosium that is supported in the supported type metal oxide is 0.01 parts by mass or more and 10.0 parts by mass or less based on 100 parts by mass of zirconium.

7. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 1 , wherein the zirconium compound is used in an amount of 1.0 part by mass or more and 200 parts by mass or less based on 100 parts by mass of the α-amino acid amide.

8. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 1 , wherein the α-amino acid amide is glycine amide, alanine amide, or methionine amide.

9. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 2 , wherein the zirconium-containing oxide is a supported type metal oxide in which a metal compound containing at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of lithium, nickel, copper, zinc, cesium, barium, hafnium, tantalum, cerium, and dysprosium is supported on zirconium oxide.

10. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 9 , wherein the amount of the at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of lithium, nickel, copper, zinc, cesium, barium, hafnium, tantalum, cerium, and dysprosium that is supported in the supported type metal oxide is 0.01 parts by mass or more and 10.0 parts by mass or less based on 100 parts by mass of zirconium.

11. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 1 , wherein the zirconium compound contains zirconium and at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of lithium, nickel, copper, zinc, cesium, barium, hafnium, tantalum, and dysprosium.

12. The method for producing an α-amino acid according to claim 1 , wherein the zirconium compound is used in an amount of 1.0 part by mass or more and 50.0 parts by mass or less based on 100 parts by mass of the α-amino acid amide.