22 



If now we take trimethylamine and combine it with the next 

 cyan-alcohol in the series, the ethylic, cholin should be the result — 



[OH /OH 



N(0H3)3 + C,hJ +H,0 =C,h' +HCN 



VCN In(CH3)30H 



trimethylamine ethylic cyan-alcohol cholin, 



for cholin has been formed synthetically in the laboratory by 



roH 



heating ethylene chlorhydrin C^H^j with trimethylamine, 



and the same reaction should hold good for the cyan-hydrin or 

 cyan-alcohol. 



Neurin differs from cholin by H^O, and the former can be 

 obtained by heating cholin with hydriodic acid and then acting 

 upon it with moist silver oxide : — 



rHO (OH 



c,hJ =c^bA +nfi 



In(CH3)3.H0 ^N(CH3)3 



cholin neurin. 



By oxidising cholin (by gently heating its hydrochloride or 



platino-chloride with strong nitric acid) we obtain muscarine : — 



(HO ((OH), 



CAl +o = ch,.ch] 



^N(CH3)3.H0 In.(CH3)3.0H 



cholin muscarine hydroxide. 



Oxidised in a different fashion cholin is converted into betain, 



the alkaloid of beet root : — 



(HO /CO 



C^hJ -(-0 = CH2«^ +H2O 



In(CH3)3H0 'n(CH3)30 



cholin betain, 



a substance which has also been found, by Liebreich, in the 

 human urine. 



