1 88 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [march 



r 



germinated so that the surface was covered from the beginning with 



fihn of fungu 



solutions 



sometimes 



2T0W 



lal to that of the flasks in which. more spores had germin. 

 All the potassium acetate cultures formed spores, but • 

 icentration of 0.05 GM. per liter produced them most j 



DISCUSSION 



A general survey of these data shows that alcohol, acetic acid, and 



the substances from 



assimilated 



is easily 

 In the case of 



greater 



mineral acids stimulates growt 



mineral 



The esters of alcohol with 



possess the greater 



any toxic properties. The substances 



eral, those which are readily oxidized. To what extent will these data 

 enable us to correlate the mode of assunilation of these compounds 

 with the kno^Ti chemical reactions of the substances ? 



The first possibility that presents itself is that alcohol enters into 

 combination with substances in the protoplasm by virtue of its disso- 

 ciation into ethylidene and water 



CH3CH,OH±^CH3CH=+HOH, 



vvhich, as X£r^° has shown, takes place completely at about 650° C. 

 At ordinary temperatures dissociation into ethylidene and water takes 

 place to a very slight extent, probably less than o . 01 per cent. The 

 dissociation, however, is enormouslv increased bv a combination of 



also by the action of enzymes 



with metals or mineral acids, and 

 other catahlir agents. The alco- 



so great an extent at ordinary temperatures 



that they bum spontaneous!} 



about 200° C. ( ?) and potassium ethyl suHateH 250° C 

 acid and ethyl sulfate dissociate at low temperature 

 formation begins in a mixture of alcohol with a Httle 



^l^rJ'^^'J' ^'' ^"^ ^^^ fundamental conceptions underlying t 

 element carbon. Jouxn. Am. Chem. Soc. 26: x34^x577^ x^ 



dissociat 



cHemlstry of the 



