Betaines column chromatography

The colonial sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima responds with characteristic contraction to a pheromone released by wounded conspecifics. This alarm response is highly characteristic, includes rapid bending and shortening of the tentacles and depression of the oral disk. In 1975, by extensive ion exchange column chromatography, (3-carboxy-2,3-dihydroxy-A(A(Af-trimethyl)-l-propanaminium chloride (50) was isolated as a pure crystalline substance.116 It showed alarm pheromone activity with a median concentration of 0.35 nmol 1 1 and was named anthopleurine. Comparison of spectral data between natural and synthetic compounds revealed that anthopleurine had a structure of 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-threonic acid betaine hydrochloride.117... 

---