THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF IONS 463 



greatest importance to us: Do these phenomena rest upon 

 the effect of the OH ions or the molecules of the bases? 

 The degree of dissociation of the bases at the concentrations 

 employed gives us the information we seek regarding this 

 point. 



Without detaining the reader with the mathematical 

 proof, we can show that the dissociation of these alkalies at 

 the concentrations employed is nearly complete. From this 

 it follows that we are dealing with the effects of ions, and 

 that the effect of the alkalies observed by us on the absorp- 

 tion of water by the muscle is determined solely by the 

 negatively charged hydroxyl ions; that the molecules KOH 

 NaOH, and LiOH, and also the cations K, Na, and Li, play 

 no part in this effect. For this reason we must obtain 

 quantitatively equal physiological effects as soon as the 

 given bases are used in such concentrations that the same 

 number of hydroxyl ions is present in the same volume of 

 the solution. 



These results are well corroborated by the following ex- 

 periments with Ba(OH) 2 and ^Sr(OH) 2 . 



