ALKALI PROTEINS WITH LAPSE OF TIME 113 



Table 62. 



Diminution of Conductivity with Time as related to concen- 

 tration of Alkali (i *i per cent. Ox-serum Albumin). 



The variation in viscosity and conductivity of a i per cent, 

 ox-serum plus 0-125 N sodium hydroxide is most marked in the 

 first six hours. Schorr was unable to discover during this time 

 any difference in molecular concentration by determining the 

 depression of the freezing point. This method, however, is 

 inadequate to detect the small changes which might occur. 



The changes in viscosity with time lend considerable pro- 

 bability to the conclusion that the hydration of the albumin 

 ions and perhaps also of the neutral particles of alkali protein 

 first increases with time, and then decreases again. The fact 

 that a relative maximum occurs, with increasing alkali content, 

 at a point corresponding to the maximum ionisation of the 

 alkali protein, shows that the ions are principally concerned in 

 this effect. The rise in hydration of the particles of albumin 

 accounts for the decrease in electrical conductivity as the 

 mobility of the protein ions is thereby diminished. Apart from 

 the fact that a parallel between viscosity and conductivity is 

 missing over a considerable range, other evidence is all in 

 favour of the possibility of an increasing combination of the 

 protein with the alkali as time goes on. This process leads to 

 the disappearance of the particularly mobile hydroxyl ion, and 

 hence to a continuous decrease in conductivity. It is only 

 necessary now to demonstrate that the quantity of alkali which 

 enters into combination actually increases as time proceeds, and 

 this is shown by the following experiments of Pauli and Spitzer 

 (loc. cit,}. 



