436 NEURINE. LECITHIN. [BOOK I. 



Synthesis. Neurine has been produced synthetically in two ways: 

 1st. By bringing together a concentrated solution of trimethyl- 

 amine with ethene oxide, thus : 



CH. CH..OH 



>0 + N(CH 3 ) 3 + HOH = 



i: 



Ethene oxide. Neurine. 



2nd. By heating in a sealed tube a mixture of ethene-chlor- 

 hydrin and trimethylamine, thus : 



CH 2 . OH + N (CH 3 ) 3 = CH 2 . OH 

 3H 2 C1 T ^^ m * e - (1 H2 - N (CH 3 ) 3 C1 



Ethene- Chlorhydrin. Neurine Hydrochlorate. 



Constitution of Lecithin. 



Having now described the properties of lecithin as observed 

 by Diaconow and Strecker, we have to approach the question of the 

 constitution of that body. 



The lecithin which Diaconow believed to exist in the brain was 

 supposed by him to yield as a product of decomposition, and as 

 the only fatty acid, stearic acid, and it may be therefore termed, 

 for reasons which will be apparent immediately, distearyl-lecithin. 

 This body and indeed all lecithins, for there are probably many 

 lecithins, are derived from glycerin-phosphoric acid. 



If in glycerin-phosphoric acid two of the atoms of hydroxyl- 

 hydrogen in the glycerin be replaced by two molecules of stearyl, we 

 shall obtain an acid to which the name of distearyl-glycerin- phos- 

 phoric acid was given by Diaconow. This acid would have the 

 constitution C I H.(C 18 H 88 O S ) 8 . PO(OH) 2 : it was actually obtained by 

 Diaconow on shaking an ethereal solution of lecithin with sulphuric 

 acid, the products of the reaction being this body and neurine- 

 sulphate. 



Now distearyl-glycerin-phosphoric acid may unite itself with 

 neurine to form lecithin. 



The mode of attachment of neurine to distearyl-glycerin-phosphoric 

 acid cannot be represented with certainty by any formula. The three 

 following formulae for distearyl-lecithin have been suggested and 

 represent the different views which have been held : 



(A) Diaconow : x 



-N(CH 8 ) 3 -C a H,OH 



1 Centralblatt f. d. med. Wiss., 1868, Nr. 1, s. 3. 



