STUDIES IN GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY 



relation between the amount of oxygen dissolved in a sodium- 

 chloride solution and its concentration that I have been able 

 to find in the literature is the following: According to the 

 experiments of Fernet 1 if I understand the term "titre de 

 solution" correctly, the absorption coefficient 



of a 5.42 per cent. NaCl solution at 16 C. = 0.0284 

 of a 0.72 per cent. NaCl solution at 14.1 C.= 0.0293. 



The corresponding coefficients for distilled water are accord- 

 ing to Bunsen 2 0.02949 and 0.03030. The effect of con- 

 centration upon gas absorption is therefore so slight that 

 it may be neglected in our experiments. Since data such as 

 these are but few in number, I wish to add a few on the ab- 

 sorption of carbon dioxide. 



Professor Zuntz, who brought Fernet's work to my notice, 

 was so kind as to inform me that, according to his experi- 

 ments, a saturated NaCl solution absorbs about one-third as 

 much COg as distilled water. The figures of Fernet about 

 correspond with these. According to this author, the ab- 

 sorption coefficient of CO 2 



in a 6.25 per cent. NaCl solution at 11.2 C. = 9335, 

 in distilled water (according to Bunsen) at 11 C. = 1.1336, differ- 

 ence =0.2001; 



in a 2.22 per cent, NaCl solution at 14.1 C. = 0.9463, 

 in distilled water (according to Bunsen) at 14,1 C. = 1.0291; differ- 

 ence = 00828; 



in a 0.83 per cent. NaCl solution at 16 C. = 0.9591, 

 in distilled water (according to Bunsen) at 16 C. = 0.9753; differ- 

 ence =0.0162. 



The decrease in the absorption coefficient of CO 2 with an 

 increase in the concentration of the NaCl solution from to 

 6 per cent, is about 0.2. This decrease about corresponds 

 with that caused by an increase in the temperature from 10 



1 FERNET, Annales des sciences naturelles, 4th Series, " Zoologie," Vol. VIII 

 (1857). See also ZUNTZ, "Blutgase und resp. Gaswechsel," HERMANN'S Handbuch 

 der Physiologic, Vol. IV. 



2 BUNSEN, Gasometrische Methoden, 2d ed., 1877. 



