BETAINES. 



Betaine, the first member of the series of trimethylamine derivatives of 

 fatty acids, or Irimethylamine acetic acid, has been known since 1863 and 

 was given its name by Scheibler in 1866, who isolated it from the sap of the 

 sugar beet (Beta vulgaris] and from molasses. 



Betaine also occurs in a large number of plants and has been isolated 

 from shrimp extract and extracts of other invertebrates ; -05 per cent, has 

 been separated from ox kidney. 



Betaine, and the other members of the group, when dried at 100 lose a 

 , molecule of water. Their constitution is most probably that of the an- 

 hydride : 



CH 2 - N(CH 8 ) 3 CH 3 -N(CH 3 ) 3 



COOH OH 

 Other members of the group are : 



y-n-butyro-betaine. 

 CH 2 -N(CH 3 ) 3 



CH, 



CO-0 



Betaine. 



CO O 



Trimethylhistidine. 

 CH NH, 

 II >fH 



Carnitine or Novaine, or 

 o-hydroxy-y-butyro-betaine. 

 CH a N(CH 3 ) 3 



CH.J 



CHOH 



I 



CO O 



Ergothioneine, or 

 Thiolhistidine-betaine. 

 CH NH, 



CH-N(CH 3 ) 3 

 CO O 



Stachydrine or 

 Proline-betaine. 



CH., CH CO 



CH-N(CH 3 ), 

 CO-0 



Betonicine and Turicine or 

 hydroxyproline-betaine. 

 CHOH CH. 



CH 2 CH-CO 



CH 3 CH 



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