N-Phenylcysteine (1) was prepared as a hydrobromide in good yield from the acid hydrolysis of 4-carboxy-2-methyl-3-phenyl-${Delta}^;2$-thiazolinium bromide (5), which was derived from the reaction of thioacetanilide and $alpha$ -bromoacrylic acid. The treatment of ethyl ester(6) of N-phenylcysteine with 2,2-dimethoxypropane rendered it to ethyl 2,2-dimethyl-3-phenylthiazoline-4-carboxylate (7).