EFFECTS OF SOME QUATERNARY AMMONIUM AND ANALOGOUS COMPOUNDS ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

α-Phenylethyl-trimethylammonium bromide has a very weak muscarine action; the β-compound was somewhat more active. The α-compound has a weak stimulating nicotine action; the β-compound was about twenty times as active. The α-compound was somewhat more toxic than the β-compound. Nitromethyl-trimethylammonium bromide has very weak muscarine and nicotine actions; it is far less active in both respects than is tetramethylammonium hydroxide. (Phenyl-carbamylmethyl)-trimethylammonium iodide has very pronounced muscarine and (stimulating) nicotine actions. Methyl-(phenyl-cyanomethyl)-diethylammnonium iodide has little if any muscarine or (stimulating) nicotine actions. (Phenyl-cyanomethyl)-triethylammonium bromide, like other quaternary ethyl compounds, does not have a muscarine action; it has little if any stimulating nicotine action, but has a moderately marked paralyzing nicotine action. There were no indications of a cyanogen action; neither thyroid feeding nor sodium thiosulphate had an antidotal action (mice). It is not a very toxic compound. β-phenylethyl-triethylammonium iodide has no muscarine or stimulating nicotine action, but has a pronounced paralyzing nicotine action.