1-methyl tryptophan synthesis method

The present invention provides a direct and efficient 1-methyl tryptophan synthesis method, and specifically relates to a method for synthesizing 1-methyl tryptophan represented by the following formula I. The method comprises that: in an inert solvent, in the presence of an alkaline agent, tryptophan and a methylating agent CH3X (X is defined in the specification) are subjected to a reaction, and separation is performed to obtain the desired product 1-methyl tryptophan. According to the present invention, the organic solvent is adopted as the reaction medium, the suitable alkaline reagent is adopted as the dehydrogenating agent, the tryptophan reacts with the methyl halide, and the crude product is subjected to extraction, washing, re-crystallization and other operations so as to obtain the high purity 1-methyl tryptophan; and the method has characteristics of good yield, strong selectivity, simple operation, safety, and easy control. The formula I is defined in the specification.