THE ANTAGONISTIC ACTION OF ANIONS. 



By ORAN L. RABER. 



(From the Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Harvard University, Cambridge.) 

 (Received for publication, February 10, 1920.) 



Striking cases of antagonism among cations are well known but 

 the search for similar relations among anions has achieved little 

 result. Some cases have been described by Loeb^ and Miss Moore.^ 

 Lipman and his associates^ have reported antagonistic action of 

 anions as the result of studies on bacteria in which salts were added 

 to the soil, but it is very difficult to separate the effects of the added 

 salts from those already present in the soil. Miyake* found some 

 antagonism, among anions in studying the growth of wheat. Fenn^ 

 has called attention to the fact that this kind of antagonism is com- 

 monly met with in experiments on gelatin. 



The writer has observed some cases of this kind of antagonism 

 among plants. A quantitative study of one of these cases is here 

 presented. This study was carried on at Cambridge in the fall of 

 1919. The marine alga, Laminaria agardhii Kjellm was employed, 

 the material being shipped from Woods Hole to Cambridge as needed. 

 The material when it arrives in the laboratory is known to be in good 

 condition since its resistance can be measured and compared with that 

 of freshly gathered material. When kept at a low temperature the alga 

 usually maintains its original resistance and vitahty for several days. 

 It was usually shipped in a covered firkin containing sea water. The 

 firkin was surrounded by ice and was water-tight so that water from 

 the melting ice could not dilute the sea water. 



^ Loeb, J., Arch. ges. Physiol, 1905, cvii, 252 and literature cited there. 



2 Moore, A., Am. J. Physiol, 1901, v, 87; 1902, vii, 315. 



3 Lipman, C. B., Centr. Bakteriol, 2te Abt., 1912-13, xxxvi, 382. Lipman, C. B., 

 and Burgess, P. S., Centr. Bakteriol, 2te Abl, 1914, xli, 430; 1914-15, xlii, 502. 

 Lipman, t. B., Plant World, 1914, xvii, 295. 



^ Miyake, K., /. Coll Agric. Tohoku Imp. Univ., 1914, v, 241; /. Biol Chem., 

 1913-14, xvi, 235. 



5 Fenn, W. 0., J. Biol Chem., 1918, xxxiv, 141. 



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