CHEMISTRY OF THE PTOMAINES. 233 



mixture of bases, which, on analysis, gave results corre- 

 sponding to the three fomiulfe : 



1 2 3 



(C5H„N0Cl),PtCl, (C5Hj,NCl),PtCl, (C,H,,NC1),PIC1, 



Formula No. 3 was the one accepted by Liebeeich for 

 neurino, but, according to Baeyer, Liebreich's neiirine 

 salt is not simple, but is a mixture of Nos. 1 and 2. He 

 himself accepts formula No. 1 as the platinochloride of 

 neurine, and distinctly states (Annal. d. Chem. u. Pharm., 

 142, 323, 1867) that neurine is in composition trimethyl- 

 oxyethyl-ammonium hydroxide. And, accordiug to him, 

 choline from bile, and sinkaline from white mustard, appear 

 to be identical with neurine. 



This nomenclature of Baeyer's was at first adopted by 

 WuKTZ and others, who showed that the oxyethyl base 

 was identical with choline and sinkaline. On that account 

 Steecker, in 1868 {Annal., 148, 79), suggested the re- 

 striction of the name choline to the oxyethyl base, and to 

 reserve the name neurine for the base whose platinochloride 

 is represented in No. 3, as originally was done by Lieb- 

 eeich. In 1869 Liebeeich showed coni^lusively that 

 2)ure protagon, when heated witii baryta for twenty-four 

 hours, yields a substance having the composition of the 

 vinyl base : 



N(CH3)3.C,H3.0H. 



The platinochloride of this base crystallized in five-sided 

 yellow plates, which, after a time, on cxposuri' to the air, 

 became cloudy ; on treatment now with water a j^ortion 

 dissolved, and the solution was found to contain the oxy- 

 ethyl base. Furthermore, he observed that when the alco- 

 holic extract of the brain, from whicli all the protagon had 

 l)cen removed, is treated with baryta, only the latter, the 

 oxyethyl base, is obtained. Finally, in 1870, Wuetz 

 abandoned the use of the term neurine to designate the 

 oxyethyl base, and returned to the name choline, originally 

 applied to the oxyethyl base by its discoverer, Streckee. 

 Nevertheless, the confusion in the use of these two terms 



