348 Drs. A. J). Waller and E. H. Aders Plimmer. [June 12, 



Kxpt. t) (continuation of tracings on preceding page). Two successive intravenous injections 

 beta'ine hydrochloride (Merck) 10 per cent, solution neutralised by NaOH. 



PART 2 (R. H. A. P.). Extraction of Betaine from Raw Beet-Sugar. 



The existence of betaine in the juice of the beet was first demon- 

 strated in 1866 by Scheibler. 1 He extracted it from beet-juice as also 

 from beet-molasses in which, by reason of its great solubility, it is 

 present in somewhat large quantities. Four years later he determined 

 its constitution as being trimethylglycine, and Liebreich 2 identified it 

 with oxyneurine, which he obtained by the oxidation of choline, or 

 neurine as he called it. Choline was shown to exist in the juice of the 

 beet by Lippmann, 3 these two bases (choline and betaine) standing to 

 one another in the relationship of alcohol to acid ; muscarine, the 

 poison of the toadstool, probably occupies the intermediate position of 

 aldehyde, as shown by the following formulae : 



.OH 



N(CH 3 ) 3 



.> CHoOH 



Choline. 



N(CH 3 ) 3 N(CH 3 ) 3 



^CH, CHO \CHo-COOH 



Muscarine. Beta'ine. 



