FERTILIZATION AND OXIDATION 37 
These experiments might give the reader two impressions, 
first, that the rate of oxidation increases steadily with the con- 
centration of hydroxylions or of the NaOH in the surrounding 
solution; and, second, that the normal oxidations take place 
at the surface of the egg. Experiments made by Wasteneys 
and the writer, however, do not warrant such conclusions. 
The experiments were made on the eggs of Strongylocentrotus 
purpuratus in Pacific Grove and consisted in a more complete 
determination of the effect of varying concentrations of NaOH 
and NH,OH upon the oxidations. 
TABLE V 
| 
Amount of NaOH Added to! ae || Amount of NaOH Added to Cop m 
50 c.c.m/2 NaCl+KCl+ | 1U Ot || 50 c.c. m/2 NaCl+KCl+ ; 
CacCh Oxida- Oxida- 
| tions CaCl. tions 
0.0c.c.N/10 NaOH..... 1.00 0.9c.c.N/10 NaOH..... 1.44 
0.3.c.c. N/10 NaOH..... 1.08 12Olerce NAO NaOH = ee 155 
0.4 ¢.c.N/10 NaOH...:. 1208s eee NVIOINaO: oS: 1.87 
Opec N/1ONaOH -..... 1.13 1.2¢.c.N/10.NaOH..... 1.93 
O26:c.erN/10 NaOH ..... . 1.18 tL se:enN /10 NaOH. 2. 2.12 
0.7 ¢.c.N/10 NaOH..... 147 =| l-4 ce, N/10 NaOH. 3.2: Eggs i 
0.8¢.c.N/10 NaOH..... feet 5 iG?) ee 
| 
This and similar experiments show very plainly that the 
addition of even 0.5 c.c. or 0.7 c.c. N/10 NaOH to 50 c.c. 
(m/2 NaCl-+-KCl+CaCl,) does not raise the rate of oxidations 
noticeably; and that a considerable rise in the rate of oxidations 
does not take place until more than 0.8 c.c. N/10 NaOH 
has been added. These concentrations can no longer be con- 
sidered normal, since an addition of from 0.2 to 0.4 ce. 
N/10 NaOH to 50 ¢.c. (NaCl+KCl+CaCl) suffices already 
to suppress the development of the egg. It is therefore 
obvious that the increase of the rate of oxidations in the 
unfertilized egg, under the influence of excessive quanti- 
ties of NaOH, cannot be utilized for any conclusions upon the 
1 Loeb and Wasteneys, Jour. Biol. Chem., XIV, 459, 1913. 
