CHKMISIKY <>!' TlIK PTOMAINES. 249 



liUr hodv from su^ar-lwet, which, on heating with baryta 

 gave oleic acid, glycerin, and phosphoric acid (glyccrin- 

 phosphoric acid), and l>etaine. Kctaine, however, docs not 

 sec in to he a constant constituent, inasinncli as on one occa- 

 sion he obtained chielly cholinc, and little or no bctaine. 

 These two bases also occur together in cotton-seed, and 

 this fact has led SniKiHLKU to the conclusion that it is 

 no mere chance. Lecithin, as is well known, may con- 

 tain variable acid constituents (oleic, stearic, palmitic, etc.), 

 and reasoning on this fact, and on the results of his ex|>eri- 

 incnts, Lii'i'MANN has been led to suppose that it may also 

 contain different bases in variables proportions. 



It has been obtained from human urine (LiKiiUKini, 

 !*<!!), and from poisonous and non-poisonons mussel, but 

 not from putrid mussel (Huii-XSKU, 1885, III., 76). The 

 method for its separation from mussel is described on page 

 256. 



Betaine may be obtained synthetically in several ways : 



(1) by oxidation of choline with potassium permanganate; 



(2) by the action of methyl iodide on glycocoll ; ('i) by 

 treating inonocliloraeetic acid with trimethylamine. The 

 last two methods are of value as indicating the constitution 

 of bctaine, and the changes which take place can l>e repre- 

 sented by the ei | nations: 



Nil, N(CIT 3 ) :t I 



CII 2 + 3CII.1 Cir, + 2III. 



co 2 n r<ui 



I.I 1.. . .1 I. I'.l I MM lolHllR. 



CIU'I 



+ N(CII S ) S CH, 



i 



MuMM-ltl.nK \I-ITII- ACID. 



l''rom the formulae of the salts of belaine it is evident 



