did not exceed 45 u00b0 c addition time was 4 0 hours the crude colorless product n 2 aminoethyl u03b2 alanine methyl ester 580 g was dissolved in deionized water to give a concentration of about 25 weight percent allowing the solution to stand at room temperature for 2 3 days caused a white solid product to slowly precipitate the product was obtained as a fine white powder m p 198 u00b0 c 199 u00b0 c spectral analysis confirmed the product 39 s structure as nhch 2 ch 2 nhch 2 ch 2 c o 2 the reaction conditions of example 1 were substantially repeated excepting that the ester reactant was ethyl acrylate accordingly ethyl acrylate 100 g 1 0 mole was added dropwise into neat ethylenediamine 60 g 1 0 mole while stirring the reaction temperature was not allowed to exceed 55 u00b0 c and was completed over a period of 1 25 hours the colorless slightly sweet smelling liquid product weighed 160 g 100 percent yield distillation of this product gave a major fraction boiling at 108 u00b0 c 143 u00b0 c 2 mm weight 42 4 g which was identified as n 2 aminoethyl u03b2 alanine ethyl ester allowing this fraction to stand at room temperature caused it to transform to a white slushy semi solid which weighed 4 05 g 9 56 percent after filtration recrystallization from hot ethanol gave 1 25 g of fine fluffy white powder m p 192 u00b0 c 193 u00b0 c which was spectroscopically identical to the product obtained in example 1 ethylenediamine 240 g 4 0 moles was placed in a 1000 ml.