ʻO ka betaine (BEET-uh-een, bē'tə-ēn', -ĭn) i loko o ke kemika he hui kemika kūʻokoʻa me kahi pūʻulu hana cationic i hoʻopaʻa maikaʻi ʻia e like me ka ammonium quaternary a i ʻole phosphonium cation (maʻamau: ion onium) ʻaʻole i loaʻa. hydrogen atom a me kahi pūʻulu hana i hoʻopiʻi ʻole ʻia e like me kahi pūʻulu carboxylate ʻaʻole paha e pili kokoke i ke kahua cationic. ʻO kahi betaine no laila he ʻano kikoʻī o zwitterion. Ma ka mōʻaukala ua mālama ʻia ka huaʻōlelo no trimethylglycine wale nō. Hoʻohana ʻia ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he lāʻau lapaʻau. I loko o nā ʻōnaehana biological, nui nā betaines kūlohelohe e lawelawe ʻia ma ke ʻano he osmolytes organik, nā mea i hana ʻia a lawe ʻia paha mai ke kaiapuni e nā cell no ka pale ʻana i ke koʻikoʻi osmotic, ka maloʻo, ka salinity kiʻekiʻe a i ʻole ka wela kiʻekiʻe. ʻO ka hōʻiliʻili intracellular o betaines, ʻaʻole hoʻopilikia i ka hana enzyme, ka hoʻolālā protein a me ka pono o ka membrane, e ʻae i ka paʻa ʻana o ka wai i loko o nā cell, pēlā e pale ai i nā hopena o ka dehydration. He mea hāʻawi methyl ia i ʻike nui ʻia i ka biology. ʻO Betaine kahi alkaloid me ka hygroscopicity ikaika, no laila ua mālama pinepine ʻia me ka anti-caking agent i ka hana hana. ʻAʻole ʻokoʻa loa kona ʻano molekala a me ka hopena noi mai ka betaine maoli, a no ka waiwai maoli e like me ka synthesis kemika. E hoʻololi i ka methionine e hoʻomaikaʻi i ka hana hana a hōʻemi i ke kumukūʻai hānai.
