l - tartaric acid was dissolved in the required quantity of hot 90 percent aqueous ethanol , the calculated quantity of l - carnitine was added , the salt was brought to crystallization by cooling , filtered and dried . the product showed the following characteristics : colorless crystals [ a ] d 25 : - 10 . 9 °± 0 . 6 ° ( 25 ° c ., c = 1 % in water ). composition : mol ratio of carnitine : tartaric acid is 2 : 1 ( 1 h - nmr ). ______________________________________ l - carnitine - l - tartrate l - carnitineafter hours percent percent______________________________________1 0 1 . 92 0 3 . 64 0 6 . 38 0 8 . 624 0 12 . 3water absorption when air humidity is 66 percent1 0 6 . 02 0 9 . 64 0 21 . 68 0 . 1 45 . 224 0 . 1 67 . 7______________________________________ sucking tablets weighing individually 2 , 200 mg were produced according to the following formulation : ______________________________________l - carnitine - l - tartrate 732 mgfructose 1 , 089 mgorange flavoring 30 mgquinoline yellow lacquer 4 mgcarboxymethyl cellulose 25 mgpolyvinylpyrrolidone 20 mgsaccharose stearate 100 mgtalc 160 mgmagnesium stearate 40 mg______________________________________ the mixture was prepared in the usual manner and pressed into tablets 20 mm in diameter . as a comparison , sucking tablets of the same kind were produced which contained 500 mg of l - carnitine and 232 mg of microcrystalline cellulose ( for weight compensation ) instead of l - carnitine - l - tartrate . on the crushed tablets the water absorption in each case was determined under constant relativity humidity . when they were stored at a relative humidity of 56 percent the crushed tablets , which contained l - carnitine - l - tartrate , did not take up any water even after 10 days . in comparison to this , tablets that contained l - carnitine showed a water absorption of 12 percent under identical conditions . the use of l - carnitine - l - tartrate according to the invention resulted in tablets that could be stored even under extreme conditions . analogously to example 2 sucking tablets were produced according to the following formulation : ______________________________________l - carnitine - l - tartrate 732 mgmannitol 1 , 100 mgaspartame 13 mgpeppermint flavoring 10 mgcarboxymethyl cellulose 25 mgpolyvinyl pyrrolidone 20 mgsaccharose stearate 100 mgtalc 160 mgmagnesium stearate 40 mg______________________________________ as a comparison again as in example 2 , tablets were produced with l - carnitine and microcrystalline cellulose . also with these tablets , as in example 2 , the water absorption was determined . the use according to the invention of l - carnitine - l - tartrate yielded stable tablets capable of being stored , while tablets on the basis of l - carnitine , after storage for one week , formed a sticky mass because of water absorption . according to the following formulation 12 , 000 tablets of 650 mg each were produced : ______________________________________l - carnitine - l - tartrate 4 . 392 kglactose monohydrate 2 . 028 kg ( that can be directly tableted ) wheat starch 420 gcellulose , microcrystalline 360 gsilicon dioxide ( aerosil ® 200 ) 60 gtalc 480 gmagnesium stearate 60 g______________________________________ the l - carnitine - l - tartrate was homogeneously mixed with the wheat starch and the cellulose and sifted . the lactose was added , uniformly mixed in and the mixture was sifted again . talc , magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide were thoroughly mixed with one another , sifted and sprinkled into the mixture of active ingredients . the whole mixture was again mixed thoroughly and kept in a hermetically sealed container until it was made into tablets . circular tablets with a facette edge 13 mm in diameter and about 3 . 9 mm thick were pressed . the tablets exhibited a resistance to pressure of 60 to 70 n and disintegrated in water of 20 ° c . within 15 to 17 minutes . hard gelatin capsules with l - carnitine - l - tartrate were produced , corresponding to the following composition : magnesium stearate was sifted with a sieve with 0 . 5 mm mesh size , l - carnitine - l - tartrate was added , and both components were intensively mixed for 15 minutes . afterwards the mixture was filled into coni - snap ® capsules of size 1 . this resulted in capsules that were capable of being stored even under tropical conditions . 366 mg of l - carnitine - l - tartrate per capsule corresponded to a quantity of 250 mg of l - carnitine .
tablets , capsules and other preparation forms for oral administration are produced which contain l - carnitine - l - tartrate . in comparison to preparations made with free l - carnitine , the invention preparations exhibit less hygroscopicity , longer stability and better capacity for being stored .