Creatine ethyl ester hydrochloride is prepared by the reaction of ethanol and creatine. The specific synthesis steps are as follows:
Phosphorochloridic acid (2.0-2.5 equivalents to creatine) was added dropwise to a suspension of creatine in 10 mL of ethanol at 0° C. The reaction mixture was stirred for 15 min at 0° C. and the temperature then raised to 60° C. and stirred for 30 min. The reaction mixture was then cooled to provide 1.7 g of the hydrochloride salt of title compound (24) (73percent yield) as a white solid. 1H NMR (CD3OD, 400 MHz): δ 4.20-4.30 (m, 4H), 3.16(s, 3H, creatinine NCH3), 3.08 (s, 3H, CBE NCH3), 1.31 (d, J=6.8 Hz), (CBE/creatinine=9:1).
