將α-氨基酸和醋酸酐在堿性條件（吡啶）下反應通過噁唑啉（氨基酸內酯）中間體生成α-乙酰基氨基甲基酮并放出二氧化碳的反應。

反應機理

反應實例

利用雜多酸作為催化劑，乙腈作反應物的綠色Dakin-West反應。

參考文獻

1. Dakin, H. D.; West, R. J. Biol. Chem. 1928, 78, 91, 745, and 757. In 1928, Henry Dakin and Rudolf West, a clinician, reported on the reaction of α-amino acids with acetic anhydride to give α-acetamido ketones via azalactone intermediates. Interestingly, one year before this paper by Dakin and West, Levene and Steiger had observed both tyrosine and α-phenylananine gave “abnormal” products when acetylated under these conditions.2,3 Unfortunately, they were slow to identify the products and lost an opportunity to be immortalized by a name reaction.【1928年， Henry Dakin和臨床醫生Rudolf West報道了α-氨基酸和乙酸酐通過氨基酸內酯中間體得到α-乙酰基氨基酮的反應。有趣的是，早在Dakin和West的論文發表之前一年之前，Levene 和Steiger就觀察到絡氨酸和α-苯丙氨酸在此條件下乙酰基化會生成一些“奇怪的”產物，但是不幸的是，他們沒有很快分離出此產物而錯過了被命名反應的機會。】

2. Buchanan, G. L. Chem. Soc. Rev. 1988, 17, 91–109. (Review).

3. Jung, M. E.; Lazarova, T. I. J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 1553–1555.

4. Kawase, M.; Hirabayashi, M.; Koiwai, H.; Yamamoto, K.; Miyamae, H. Chem.

Commun. 1998, 641–642.

5. Kawase, M.; Hirabayashi, M.; Saito, S. Recent Res. Dev. Org. Chem. 2001, 4,