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Chemistry. — Dr. A. Surrs and L.K. Worrr: “On the repelling 
of the ionisation of solutions of NaOH, Nag CO; and Na HCO; 
by addition of NaCl.” (Communicated by Prof. H. W. BAK- 
HUIS ROOZEBOOM). 
In an article entitled: , Globulin als Alkali-eiweis-verbindung” !) 
STARKE has developed a theory based on some chemical phenomena 
noticed by him, which are so utterly in contradiction with the 
teachings of physical chemistry, that we found it very desirable to 
repeat his experiments and trace the cause of these singular results. 
1. Srarke found, that, when he added 1 c.c. of a 0.15 percent 
solution of NaOH to 25 e.c. of a 15 per cent solution of Na Cl 
and the same amount to 25 e.e. of distilled water, mixtures were 
obtained of a different degree of alkalinity, the NaCl solution 
having always the strongest alkaline reaction. 
These experiments were repeated using instead of NaCl, solutions 
of Na,COz and Na HCO3; the result, however, was exactly the same. 
From this, the conclusion was drawn that, contrary to theory, 
the alkaline reaction of a solution of NaOH perceptibly increases 
instead of decreasing on adding a salt with a homonymous ion. 
Another phenomenon observed by STARKE appeared to confirm 
this. 
2. He found namely that the solubility of globulin in a solution of 
Na OH is increased by addition of NaCl. Addition of NaCl, there- 
fore, appeared to have the same effect as addition of more Na OH. 
3. Another experiment which strengthened him in the conviction 
that theory utterly deserted us here was the following: Whilst con- 
vincing himself that NaCl may be precipitated from its concentrated 
solutions by adding a strong solution of HCl, he did not find it 
possible to cause a precipitation by adding a strong solution of 
Na OH. 
4. On repeating the experiments (1) we found that on using 
water, which is not free from carbon dioxide, we noticed the same 
thing as observed by STARKE. Before proceeding further we may 
state that STARKE in his experiments always used red litmus paper 
to judge which solution was the most alkaline, whereas we have 
1) Zeitschr. f Biologie B. XXII, 8. 419 (1900). 
