THE EFFECT OF CYANIDES ON PROTOPLASM. 



321 



/COO JOO gOO 700 555 JOO 10O 300 



* N N _N_ M H JH_ 



foe goo ^oo too foo too vo 



0.03 



_ N_ N_ _N_ _N_ _y_ M JH_ _J1_ 

 /OOO X) 800 7E 600 760 WO 30O 



FIG. 6. All the velocity constants plotted against their respective concentra- 

 tions to show that the velocity constants increase at a regular rate with increase in 

 concentration of HCN and increase in time of exposure to these concentrations. 



DISCUSSION. 



Lillie's ('13) explanation of the phenomenon of antagonism by 

 various anaesthetics and of anaesthesia in general is based on his 

 experiments which showed that in every case the anaesthetics 

 which he used prevented a general increase in permeability 

 brought about by various salts which are toxic to the cell. That 

 this decrease in permeability by anaesthetics does not always 

 follow, at least when HCN is used as an anaesthetic, is shown by 

 the preceding experiments. Heilbrunn ('25) has also found 

 that ether in various concentrations increases the permeability 

 of Arbacia eggs to water. The difference in the results obtained 

 by Lillie and those reported in this paper may possibly be due 

 to the difference in types of anaesthetics used. HCN, as is very 

 well known, dissociates only very slightly. That it enters the 

 cell as a molecule, as does CO 2 Qjacobs ('23')^ and H 2 S [^Beerman 

 ('24)], has been shown by Bodine ('24). Bodine suggests that 

 HCN enters the cell as a molecule and ionizes within the cell to 

 give an intracellular acidity even though the extra-cellular HCN 

 solution is slightly alkaline. 



