The above figure shows a VRML image of nutrasweet or also known as Aspartem.




In 1965, James Schlatter, of the G. D. Searle pharmaceutical company, inadvertently tasted an experimental compound that he had synthesized in an attempt to discover a better gastric hormone inhibitor, an ulcer drug. This serendipitous event (for, as we all know, we are instructed to limit exposure to chemicals with unknown properties) led to the development, approval, marketing, and acceptance of the most widely used "artificial" sweetener in the world: aspartame, more commonly known by its trademark name, NutraSweet.






NutraSweet consists of two amino acids linked together. We can apply the rules of stereochemistry to determine that four separate isomers of the diamino acid are possible. And if we are to manufacture NutraSweet, we must find a process that makes only the correct isomer.






This ChemCases case study introduces organic chemistry through the artificial sweetener NutraSweet. With this dipeptide as a model, we will learn about bonding, structure, stereochemistry, and the methods for synthesizing a small but specific molecule. We will follow the product through regulation and into commerce and deal with issues surrounding this marvelous sweetener and the consumer problems with which it has, nevertheless, presented us.