288 KUNKEL: FACTORS INFLUENCING TOXICITY OF 
toxicity of different salts in cane sugar media to the production of 
saccharates, since the addition of chlorides to a neutral solution 
of cane sugar does not furnish the conditions necessary for their 
formation. In order to obtain saccharates it would be necessary to 
add alkalies to these solutions. There seems to be good evidence, 
however, that some of the chlorides do form loose combinations 
with cane sugar (see Peligot, 24). A compound represented by 
the formula 2CyH»Oy.BaCl has been prepared in crystal- 
line form (Gauthier, 8). It may be that such addition com- 
pounds are factors in determining the relative toxicity of the 
chlorides in saccharose media. Barium chloride is less toxic in 
saccharose than in starch, glucose or peptone. It may be that this 
rather low toxicity in saccharose is due to the formation of the 
compound referred to above. 
Compounds of glucose and lactose, analogous to the saccharates, 
are also known (Honig & Rosenfeld, 11, 12). They are formed 
by the action of alkalies on these sugars. With glucose, sodium 
chloride and potassium chloride form compounds which are 
represented by the formulae C,;Hi.0;.NaCl and C,sH..O,.KCl 
respectively (Gladstone, 9). It may be that the rather low 
toxicity of sodium chloride and potassium chloride in glucose 
media is due to the formation of these compounds. Starch 
has been shown to have the properties of a very weak acid and 
to be able to react with small quantities of neutral salts (see 
Demoussy, 5). Sodium chloride is less toxic in starch than 
in any of the other media except glucose. It may be that some 
of the salt has combined with starch to give a compound that is 
less toxic than sodium chloride. Potassium chloride, on the 
other hand, is more toxic instarch than in any of the other media. 
It is possible that this is due to the formation of a complex com- 
pound which is more toxic than the chloride. 
The addition of any of the chlorides to a five per cent. peptone 
solution always causes a certain amount of precipitation. That 
the salts are to some extent carried down by this precipitate seems 
highly probable. Pauli (23) has shown that neutral proteids 
adsorb electrolytes. The antitoxic action of peptone on the salts 
of the heavy metals may be in part due to this adsorption. Table 
XII shows that the toxicity of all of the chlorides of the heavy 
metals is less in peptone than in any of the other media. 
