CHAP. X.] THE NEKVOUS TISSUES. 43j> 



ron 



/ON n TT <OH 



(*} ^3^5 } (OH 



( - po {oS 



C 3 H 6 (OH) 2 .O.PO(OH), 



Glycerin-phosphoric acid. 

 Neurine 1 (Choline). C 5 H 15 N0 2 . 



Pre oration kdy, which was first obtained by Strecker 2 



from bile (and termed choline), and afterwards inde- 

 pendently discovered as a product of decomposition of protagon by 

 Liebreich, and of lecithin by Diaconow, may be obtained by decomposing 

 either of the latter bodies by boiling them for at least an hour with 

 baryta water. The liquid is then filtered, treated with C0 2 , then boiled, 

 filtered and concentrated at a gentle heat. A syrupy residue is 

 obtained which is extracted with absolute alcohol; the solution is 

 filtered, hydrochloric acid is added, so as to induce a slight acid re- 

 action, and then a solution of platinum tetrachloride is added ; a yellow 

 precipitate (composed of a double salt of neurine and platinum tetra- 

 chloride) falls, which is washed in alcohol, dissolved in water and 

 decomposed by H 2 S. The filtrate from the precipitate of platinum 

 sulphide is concentrated in the water bath. In this way hydrochlorate 

 of neurine is obtained and from this the base is set free by treatment 

 with silver oxide. 



Pro erties Neurine is a syrupy liquid, soluble in alcohol and 



ether and possessing a marked alkaline reaction. It 

 does not coagulate albumin. Its solutions dissolve fibrin. 



Besides the compounds with hydrochloric acid. 



Compounds. . - ,. J i ,/ 



previously reterred to, neurine lorms compounds with 



carbonic and sulphuric acids ; its hydrochlorate forms double salts with 

 platinum tetrachloride and with gold chloride. The following are 

 the rational formulae of the hydrochlorate and of the platinum and 

 gold compounds : 



(1) N(CH 3 ) 3 (aH 4 -OH)Cl. 



(2) [N (CH 3 ) 3 (C 2 H 4 OH) Cl] 2 PtCl, 



(3) N (CH 3 ) 3 (C 2 H 4 OH) 01 + AuCl 3 . 



Products of Amongst numerous and highly interesting decom- 



decomposi- positions it may be mentioned that, when heated, 

 tion - neurine splits up into glycol and trimethylamine : 



TT (OH XQTT 



" H - OH = C 2 H 4 JJjg + N (CH 3 ) S 



* .--y- - -^ ^-- ~"v* " 



Glycol. Trimethylamine. 



1 In writing this description of Neurine the author has availed himself very freely of 

 the excellent account in Hoffmann's Lehrbuch der Zoochemie, page 114 et seq. 



2 Strecker, " Ueber das Lecithin." Ann. d. Chem. u. Pharm., Vol. LXXII. p. 77. 



282 



