The reaction of the methyl ester of (R)-norcarnitine with 1-bromo-2-heptadecanone produces (+)-6-[(methoxycarbonyl)methyl]-2-pentadecyl-4,4-dimethylmorpholinium bromide, 3, which hydrolyzes to (+)-6-(carboxylatomethyl)-2-pentadecyl-4,4-dimethylmorpholinium (hemipalmitoylcarnitinium, HPC) upon treatment with aqueous sodium hydroxide. Single-crystal X-ray analyses have confirmed the structures of (+)-HPC and 3. (+)-HPC inhibits carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT-I) activity for the forward reaction (palmitoyl-CoA + carnitine-->) in intact mitochondria from rat heart and rat liver. (+)-HPC competitively (versus carnitine) inhibits CPT-I activity in both rat heart and liver mitochondria with Ki = 2.8 +/- 0.5 and 4.2 +/- 0.7 microM, respectively. As one of the strongest specific inhibitors of CPT-I, HPC is a potential therapeutic agent in myocardial ischemia and Type II diabetes.