180 



The Mechanistic Conception of Life 



the NaCl can render the acid harmless. It is needless to 

 say that the NaCl used in these experiments was strictly 

 neutral and that the amount of acid present in the mixture of 

 acid and salt was measured. The following experiment may 

 serve as an example. Six fish were put into 500 c.c. of each 

 of the following seven mixtures, namely, 



1) 100 c.c. HoO +0.5 c.c. 



2) 96 c.c. H2O+ 4 c.c. m/2 NaCl+0.5 c.c. 



3) 94 c.c. H0O+ 6 c.c. m/2 NaCl+0.5 c.c. 



4) 92 c.c. H0O+ 8 c.c. m/2 NaCl+0.5 c.c. 



5) 90 c.c. HoO+lO c.c. m/2 NaCl+0.5 c.c. 



6) 88 c.c. HoO+12 c.c. m/2 NaCH-0.5 c.c. 



7) 85 c.c. H2O+I5 c.c. m/2 NaCl+0.5 c.c. 



n/10 butyric acid 

 n/10 butyric acid 

 n/10 butyric acid 

 n/10 butyric acid 

 n/10 butyric acid 

 n/10 butyric acid 

 n/10 butyric acid 



After certain intervals the number of surviving fish was 

 ascertained. The result is given in Table II. 



TABLE II 



After 



2 hours 

 4 hours 



1 day . . 



2 days. 



3 days. 



4 days. 



6 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 5 

 5 



If the amount of acid was increased, the amount of NaCl 

 also had to be increased to render the acid harmless. In order 

 to render 0.5 c.c. n/10 butyric acid pro 100 c.c. solution harm- 

 less, 10 c.c. m/2 NaCl had to be added; while 0.8 c.c. butyric 

 acid required 20 c.c. and 1.0 c.c. butyric acid required about 

 28 c.c. m/2 NaCl in 100 c.c. of the solution. 



Not only butyric acid, but any kind of acid, could be 

 rendered harmless by neutral salts, e.g., HCl by NaCl. 



