- published: 11 Oct 2015
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Arecoline (/əˈrɛkəliːn/) is a nicotinic acid-based alkaloid found in the areca nut, the fruit of the areca palm (Areca catechu). It is an odourless oily liquid.
Arecoline is a base, and its conjugate acid has a pKa ~ 6.8. Arecoline is volatile in steam, miscible with most organic solvents and water, but extractable from water by ether in presence of dissolved salts. Being basic, arecoline forms salts with acids. The salts are crystalline, but usually deliquescent: the hydrochloride, arecoline•HCl, forms needles, m.p. 158 °C; the hydrobromide, arecoline•HBr, forms slender prisms, mp. 177-179 °C from hot alcohol; the aurichloride, arecoline•HAuCl4, is an oil, but the platinichloride, arecoline2•H2PtCl6, mp. 176 °C, crystallizes from water in orange-red rhombohedrons. The methiodide forms glancing prisms, mp. 173-174 °C.
In many Asian cultures, the areca nut is chewed along with betel leaf to obtain a stimulating effect. Arecoline is the primary active ingredient responsible for the central nervous system effects of the areca nut. Arecoline has been compared to nicotine; however, nicotine acts primarily on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Arecoline is known to be a partial agonist of muscarinic acetylcholine M1, M2, M3 receptors and M4, which is believed to be the primary cause of its parasympathetic effects (such as pupillary constriction, bronchial constriction, etc.).
Leslie Kai Greene (born July 12, 1975), known professionally as Kai Greene and sometimes Kai L. Greene, is an American IFBB professional bodybuilder. His most recent victory was the 2013 Prague Pro. He was the first runner up (2nd place) at the 2012, 2013, and 2014 Mr. Olympia competition.
Greene was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. From the age of six, he was raised in foster care and residential treatment center placements. According to his online biography, his rapid physical growth and development drew the attention of his seventh grade English teacher, and since his behavior in school was troublesome, he was introduced to teenage bodybuilding competitions.
Greene became an enthusiastic bodybuilder, competing in the National Physique Committee (NPC) and aiming to move into the IFBB. He perceives his success in the NPC as mixed. Although he won the 1999 NPC Team Universe, he was disappointed and took a five-year break from competitions, before re-emerging in the 2004 NPC Team Universe contest, which he won again. This victory qualified him for a career as an IFBB professional bodybuilder.