236 R. W. CHALLINOR. 



THE OCCURRENCE OP TRIMETHYLAMINE AND 



ITS ORIGIN IN THE AUSTRALIAN SALT BUSH, 



Rhagodia hastata R. Br. 



By R. W. Challtnor, f.i.C, f.c.s. 



[Read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, December 3, 1913.~\ 



Rhagodia hastata is a native of Australia, belonging to the 

 Family Chenopodiaceae. It is known vernacularly as 

 "Salt-bush," and is one of an extensive collection of 

 plants of this name, indigenous in Australia. 



This species is cultivated extensively in the suburban 

 gardens around Sydney, chiefly as an ornamental hedge, 

 and is noted for the peculiar and objectional herring-brine 

 odour which it gives off at certain times of the year when 

 crushed between the fingers. This odour is more particu- 

 larly noticeable during the spring and summer months, and 

 is often more pronounced in moist weather. 



It seemed probable that the fishy odour was due to small 

 quantities of trimethylamine, but as the presence of this 

 substance in the Australian salt bushes had not previously 

 been recorded, this investigation was undertaken with the 

 object of endeavouring to locate it, and incidentally to 

 ascertain the source from which it was derived in the 

 plant. 



Chenopodia vulvaria, a European species, has been shown 

 by Von Dessaignes 1 to yield trimethylamine when distilled 

 with alkalis. Hetet 2 also obtained trimethylamine from 

 the fresh plant Cotyledon umbilicus. Brieger 3 has shown 

 trimethylamine to be present in ergot as a decomposition 

 product of choline. 



1 Compt. Rend., 43, 670, 1856. ' Compt. Rend., 59, 29, 1865. 

 3 Zeits. Physiol. Chem., ii, S. 184, 1887. 



