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BY AND The Laboratories and The Division of Biochemistry, of Washington, Seattle)
BY AND The Laboratories and The Division of Biochemistry, of Washington, Seattle)
EXPERIMENTAL
TABLE I
Distribution of Trimethylamine Oxide in Some Marine Animals* (in Micromoles
Per Cm. of Moist Tissue)
Invertebrates
Molluscoidea
Terebratalia transversa (branchiopods). .... . . . Negligible
Echinodermata
Strongylocentrotus jranciscanus (urchin). . . . _. . I‘
Cucumaria miniata (sea-cucumber). . ... .. ‘I
Stichopus calijornicus (sea-cucumber). . “
Mollusca
Pelecypoda
Ostrea japonica (Pacific oyster). . ., . .
‘I
(clam). . I,
Saxidomus giganteus . ..
TABLE I-Concluded
Invertebrates-continued
Pagarustenuimanus (hermit crab) .. .. 30, 28
Oregoniagracilis (spidercrab). . .. .. .. 13
Pugettia “ “ I‘ .. .. 9
Cancergracilis (crab). . . . . . .. .. .. .. 22
“ productus ” . . . . . . . . . . . ... . .. 46
Hemigrapsus nudus (shore crab). . . .. .. .. 11
Vertebrates
Elasmobranch fish
Squalus suckleyi (dogfish). Muscle 135, 88, blood serum 64, kidney 42, liver 8,
18, pancreas 73, spleen 62, stomach 86
Hydrolagus colliei (ratfish). Muscle 121, 134, blood serum 7.5, 6.5
Teleost fish
Sebastodes sp. (rock fish). Muscle 16, 40, 46, 38, 48, heart 21, skin 7, liver 0.7,
0.8, bloodserum, eggs, kidney, gill-rakers, spleen, stomach, intestine all negligible
Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (bull cod). Muscle 46; blood serum negligible
Pleuronectidae sp. (flounders). Muscle 20, 21, 19, blood serum negligible
Roccus sazatilis (sea bass). Muscle 44
Taeniotoca lateralis (blue perch). Muscle 48
Oncorhynchus kisutch (silver salmon). Muscle (adults caught in salt water) 6.2,
6.5, (adult spawning fish) 8.3
Oncorhynchus tschawytscha (king salmon). Muscle (fresh water fingerling) O-0.6,
(adults caught in salt water) 7.1, 8.3, (adult spawning fish) 2.1
* We wish to thank Professor Trevor Kincaid for having supplied us with the
names of many of the organisms studied. We wish also to thank Mr. Richard T.
Smith of the Washington State Department of Fisheries and Professor Lauren R.
Donaldson for having procured some to the specimens used.
its identification. Because of the time required the isolation and charac-
terization of trimethylamine oxide were confined to Pecten muscle.
An aqueous extract of 1.6 kilos of adductor muscle of Pecten hericius
was deproteinized with tannic acid in the presence of phosphoric acid.
The clear filtrate was neutralized with sodium hydroxide and evaporated
under reduced pressure on the water bath. The residue was extracted
repeatedly with methanol at 60-65”, the insoluble portion being dis-
carded.
The methanol filtrate was evaporated to a syrup which was repeatedly
extracted with 96 per cent ethanol. The base was precipitated from the
extract as the picrate by addition of a saturated solution of picric acid in
ethanol. After recrystallization from ethanol, the crystals were dried
over calcium chloride.
The melting point of trimethylamine oxide picrate is reported in the
literature to be in the range 196-202”, with decomposition. The authors
found the melting point of pure trimethylamine oxide picrate prepared from
E. R. NORRIS AND G. J. BENOIT, JR. 437
DISCUSSION
SUMMARY
BIBLIOGRAPHY