232 BACTERIAL POISONS. 



For its synthetic preparation see Ber. 24, 1365 (1891). 

 The base does not seem to possess a toxic action. 



Tlie Hydrochloeide, CjHuNOj.HCl, forms colorless, 

 stellate crystals, which are permanent in the air, and are 

 extremely soluble in water, even in absolute alcohol. 



Tiie AuROCHLORiDE, CjHuXOj.HCl.AuClj + HjO, is 

 obtained on slow evaporation, as large, well-formed, beau- 

 tiful dark-yellow crystals. They are probably monoclinic, 

 contain water of crystallization, and melt at below 100°. 



The Platinochloride gave on analysis results cor- 

 responding to the fornnila (C7Hi5N02.HCi)2PtCl4. This 

 may possibly be due to the presence of some higher homo- 

 logues of the base CjHjjNOj. It forms fine orange-yellow 

 crystals, which are very difficultly soluble in alcohol, easily 

 so in hot water, from which, on cooling, it crystallizes in 

 beautiful plates. 



Choline Group. — The following four bases are closely 

 related, and, indeed, starting from choline, the oldest and 

 best-known individual, the remaining bases can be readily 

 prepared from it. Moreover, they can all be prepared 

 synthetically according to methods that will be subsequently 

 indicated. As choline is the most prominent member, we 

 have thought best to class these substances together as con- 

 stituting the choline group. It is very probable that my- 

 datoxine and mytilotoxine, when their constitution becomes 

 known, will be found to be homologues of certain members 

 of this group. 



Neoeine, C5Hi3NO = C2H3.N(CH3)3.0H. — This sub- 

 stance was obtained and named thus by Liebreich (1865), 

 who prepared it by boiling protagon for twenty-four hours 

 witli concentrated baryta. Previous to its discovery as a 

 decomposition-product of protagon from the brain it was 

 prepared synthetically by Hofmann (1858) by treating 

 trimethylamine and ethylene bromide with potassium hy- 

 drate or silver oxide. Baeyer (1866), by boiling an alco- 

 holic extract of tlie brain with baryta water, obtained on 

 separation by three diiferent methods, a base, or rather a 



