N-Acetyl-DL-methionine has a number of biological properties including being a precursor to protein synthesis, a regulator of fatty acid metabolism, and an inhibitor of glutamate pyruvate transaminase. It can be found in bacterial strains as well as in human serum. N-Acetyl-DL-methionine is synthesized by the reaction of methylamine with acetyl coenzyme A in the presence of ammonia or other nitrogenous bases. The chemical structure of this compound consists of two nitrogen atoms and an acetyl group bonded to a carbon atom that is attached to a methyl group and another carbon atom that forms part of an amide bond with the amino acid methionine. This molecule has been observed using nmr spectroscopic data to form hydrogen bonds with proteins.