224 IV. THE PRINCIPLES OF LIFE PHENOMENA 



an aggregated state at the isoelectric point, thereby presumably folded 

 polar groups of the protein are set free enabling the particles to com- 

 bine intimately with one another. Thus a homogeneous mass is formed 

 in which protein molecules are arranged regularly just as in the pro- 

 toplasm proper. At the isoelectric point both NH2 and COOH of the 

 protein molecules, constituting the surface of the particle, may become 

 free enabling the particles to fuse and to arrange orderly as in the 

 protoplasm. Accordingly, this may be regarded ■ as the reversion of 

 protoplasm in vitro. 



In the primeval oceans various organic substances might be pre- 

 sent abundantly as there were no microorganisms which would devour 

 them up, and if proteins having the globulin-like property were syn- 

 thesized by certain means which we shall have an occasion to discuss 

 later, the protein would be precipitated since the water had possibly a 

 weakly acid pH, the isoelectric point of the protein, on dissolving car- 

 bon dioxide which is considered to have been present in abundance in 

 the air of the ancient lifeless world. Globulin in its nature may 

 preferably involve lipids in its precipitate, and therefore, if lipids were 

 present together with the protein, the globulin-like protein in the 

 ancient ocean would precipitate with the lipids forming minute coagu- 

 lated particles ; as will be jnentioned later, globulin molecules possess 

 the character to form virus-like particles in combining with lipids at 

 the isoelectric point. 



Particles composed of the globulin-like protein and lipids would 

 be thus formed and precipitated on the bottom of the ocean, where 

 when they were standing in forming aggregates, the protein molecules 

 would be unfolded to be fused into homogeneous masses, and thus 

 protoplasm-like masses just referred to above would be produced. 



If the globulin-like protein and lipids were synthesized successi- 

 vely in the primitive ocean, they might continuously be sedimented 

 in such a way in forming protoplasm-like masses, which might be 

 accumulated on the bottom, possibly presenting a picture as if the 

 bottom were composed of protoplasm-like masses. The writer believes 

 that the matrix for the generation of the primary organisms was 

 thus established. All the organisms existing at present are, without 

 exception, provided with the protoplasm composed of globulin-like 

 proteins and lipids, suggesting that the primeval organisms were also 

 created from such chemical components. In addition many evidences 

 can be presented to show that life phenomena are revealed solely on 

 the stage composed of such materials. 



If only a part of carbon which constitutes all the organisms exis- 

 ting today was present in forming carbon dioxide, it might be suffi- 

 cient to reduce the pH of the primitive sea water to about 5.5 at which 



