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If now we take trimethylamine and combine it with the next cyan-alcohol in the series, the ethylic, cholin should be the result —
[OH /OH
N(0H3)3 + C,hJ +H,0 =C,h' +HCN
VCN In(CH3)30H
trimethylamine ethylic cyan-alcohol cholin,
for cholin has been formed synthetically in the laboratory by
roH
heating ethylene chlorhydrin C^H^j with trimethylamine,
and the same reaction should hold good for the cyan-hydrin or cyan-alcohol.
Neurin differs from cholin by H^O, and the former can be obtained by heating cholin with hydriodic acid and then acting upon it with moist silver oxide : —
rHO (OH
c,hJ =c^bA +nfi
In(CH3)3.H0 ^N(CH3)3
cholin neurin.
By oxidising cholin (by gently heating its hydrochloride or
platino-chloride with strong nitric acid) we obtain muscarine : —
(HO ((OH),
CAl +o = ch,.ch]
^N(CH3)3.H0 In.(CH3)3.0H
cholin muscarine hydroxide.
Oxidised in a different fashion cholin is converted into betain,
the alkaloid of beet root : —
(HO /CO
C^hJ -(-0 = CH2«^ +H2O
In(CH3)3H0 'n(CH3)30
cholin betain,
a substance which has also been found, by Liebreich, in the human urine.
