PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 



503 



Returning to the question of the ion-proteids in living tissues, I may- 

 represent the relations between the results of this investigation upon the 

 properties of an associating ampholyte, and the conclusions which we 

 arrived at regarding the ion-proteids in tissues, as follows : — 



In the ion-proteid compounds 

 in tissues we find : — 



1. That two tj-pes of ion- 

 proteid compounds exist apart from 

 those which are insoluble, namely, 

 that in which the ion derived from 

 the external solution is readily 

 dissociable as such, and is readily 

 replaced by other ions according to 

 their relative masses, and that in 

 which the ion derived from the 

 external solution is not dissociable 

 as such, but is bound up in a non- 

 diffusible complex. 



2. That the ion-proteids tend 

 to assume the acid or basic pro- 

 perties of the ion, derived from the 

 external solution, with which they 

 are combined. 



3. That influence of concen- 

 tration of the external solution 

 upon the proportions of ion proteids 

 formed is such as to indicate a 

 chemical reaction, but not a simple 

 relation such as subsists in the 

 neutralisation of a non -amphoteric 

 acid by a non-amphoteric base. 



In an associating ampholyte 

 system we find : — 



1. That two types of ampho- 

 salts exist, as regards their dissocia- 

 tion, namely, those which dissociate 

 into the non-amphoteric ion with 

 which they are combined and an 

 amphoteric ion, and those which 

 dissociate into hydrogen or 

 hydroxyl and an amphoteric ion 

 containing the non-amphoteric ion 

 of the salt bound uj) in a complex. 



2. That in the presence of 

 excess of anions the ampholyte 

 assumes predominantly acid char- 

 acters, while in the presence of 

 excess of cations it assumes pre- 

 dominantly basic characters. 



3. That the influence of the 

 concentration of the non-amphoteric 

 ions upon the proportion of acid to 

 basic ampholates and upon the 

 degree of association of the ampho- 

 lyte depends upon the number of 

 diff'erent non-amphoteric ions in 

 the medium, exclusive of hydrogen 

 and hydroxyl ions. If only one non- 

 amphoteric ion is present the curve 

 representing the influence of its 

 concentration upon the association 

 of the ampholyte consists of a 

 number of small maxima and 

 minima superimposed on one large 

 maximum and minimum. If the 

 number of non-amphoteric ions, ex- 

 clusive of hydrogen and hydroxyl, 

 is two, then the curve consists of a 

 number of small maxima and 

 minima superimposed upon two 

 large maxima and minima. These 

 are curves which have been ob- 

 tained for the swelling of gelatine 

 in solutions of electrolytes of dif- 

 ferent concentrations (83). 



