THE SURFACE TE.\M<>\ THEORY OF MEMBRANE 



ELEVATION. 



I.. V. HKILBRUNX. 



When a sea-urchin e^s r i- in-eminated it lift- off a membrane 

 from it- -urface. A similar phenomenon can be produced by 

 various reagents. Many t \planations have been advanced to 

 tint f<.r it. Some >, I showed that all -ub-t.m.v- 



which prodiirc membrane ele\ation are tho-e which misjit be 

 expe. ted to prod i H ea lowered surf ace tension (i . Al-o.in general, 

 sub 3 \\l)i h lou't-r -urface tension markrdlv, pio.Uh i- nn in- 



!)iMiu-flc\ aiion. And so I advanced the view that >urfa<v ti-n-ion 

 lo\vi-rii,. in .ill related to membrane ele\ ation, and I 



olltnd a |>h\-iral explanation of the prOCCSS ba-eil on -lich a 



loxverin- of surl 'en-ion. The idea \va- nc\v. although 



'I 'ran In- u i had pre\ imi-ly -Imwn that wlien substances of a chem- 

 ical series are '"injured, those with lower surface ten-ion are 

 relati\elv nion- effective in producing membrane clc\ation. 

 I i .nbe thoii-ht ihe | involved a secretion on return to 



\\ ater. 



The -U!' face ten-ion theor\ of mem bra IK- elrvation Wa- .: 



SOme Work | but not b\ other-. (",arre\- \ in a review 



ol the literature -tale- th..t the theorx demaiul- the exi-telK 

 a membrane on the unin-eminated I or tin- < iarrey tind- 



no evidence, and he cite- Moor, ^ repetition of /iejn '- 

 and the llertuu-' ~ < .perimeiH with brokeii-iiji 6J an 



argument a^ain-t -uch a membrane. The e\ idi'iice for a : 

 e\i-lem membrane i- abundaiitK -Upplied ill m\" I)I5 pa[er, tO 

 which ( iarrey doe- not refer. 



In a paper published recently, Ju-l (8) claim- that hypertonic 

 solutions of sodium chloride in sea-water, \\hich do n<it lower 

 surface ten-ion, nevcrthele ])roduce membrane elex'atioll. 1 



A- .i in.ittn <.! :.i, t I. . ii'larilv 



prod tin- h. \\rinl -iin.i. . t<-n-i..ii. ii.r they cuu-r in. -'.veiling and tlii- \^T-'. 



1. "\\ctrcl >uri.nx- trillion. 



-77 



