1896 | TOXIC EFFECT OF ACIDS AND SALTS UPON PLANTS 137 
accumulation of CO, to any amount in the tissue of the plant 
since it is constantly being removed from the scenes of activity 
in the photosyntactic processes. 
That the ionic explanation is the true one is also strengthened 
by the experiments of Gigliole,’ who found that various seeds 
when subjected to the action of CO, in their dry condition, 
retained their vitality as well as in ordinary air, but when the: 
seeds were soaked in water they were killed. This effect seems 
to me to be due to the H-ions present. 
The experiments in regard to the poisonous action of CO, 
are somewhat conflicting since Jentys? concluded froma series of 
experiments that beans, lupines, rye, and wheat were not harmed 
by CO,. These experiments, however, are not conclusive, since 
the plants were grown in earth in glass pots. The CO, was intro- 
duced by a tube in the floor of the pot, and since the air which 
Was passed in contained only about ,4, per cent. CO, the roots 
Were probably subjected to only a small per cent. of CO, in the 
form of carbonic acid. In the experiments which I have per- 
formed with the acids the whole plant was not killed but simply 
the main root, so that if the plants had been growing in the soil 
they would not have been killed. F ungi are also able to with- 
stand more CO, than green plants, which has been shown to be 
the case with other acids. More experiments are necessary to 
Prove conclusively the fact that CO, poisoning is due to the 
effect of the ionic H~, and as soon as possible experiments with 
that view will] be carried out. 
ACETIC ACID, 
CH, CoO N N N Se N 
eae tov B00 Tb00 F200 E4t00 
ee ae . 
P. sativum TRA Oe Pe a Fe 5, pe 1.25" 
oO 2G hye) Ce fe, ete 5.25% 14.5 “ 
Zea Mais Ist2q4hrs| .... 16,25"" ie II “ a 
2d 24hrs| .... G75 * 1. ye Sa re 
panera gs Se. 
8 ae 
Z “eth chimica italiana 9: 477-478. 1879. 
xtrait du Bulletin de Académie des Sciences de Cracovie, July 1892. 
