Antitoxic Action of Certain Bases 



143 



Calcium and sodium 



The relation between calcium and sodium has been considerably studied. 

 Kearney and Cameron (1902), employing alfalfa and lupine, found that the 

 greatest endurable concentration of sodium chlorid is .02 mol.. while in 

 the presence of calcium chlorid the amount of the sodium may be raised 

 to .2 mol. 



Attention has already been called to Loeb's (1905 a) experiments with 

 the fish Fundulus. This animal cannot live in pure solutions of sodium 

 chlorid isotonic with sea water. It can live for a long time in distilled 

 water or in a mixture of NaCl, KCl, and CaCl2 in the same proportions 

 in which these salts are present in sea water. This is taken to show 

 that the Ca and K ions are required only to overcome the poisonous 

 effects of the sodium ion. 



From experiments with wheat seedlings, Osterhout (1908) concludes 

 that mutual antagonism exists between calcium and sodium. This is 

 based on data of which the following form a part: 



TABLE 9. 



Wheat (Growth during Thirty Days). Quantities Given are Cubic 

 Centimeters of .12 M Solutions 



Culture solution 



Aggregate 



length of 



roots per plant 



(millimeters) 



CaCl2 



100 CaCh 

 100 NaCl 



5 CaCU 

 100 NaCl 



1 CaCl2 

 100 NaCl 

 NaCl.... 

 Distilled water 



85 

 198 



440 



300 



55 

 725 



Osterhout states also that this relation is further established as a result 

 of experiments with algse, liverworts, and Equisetum. 



The results cited are unusual and inexplicable in view of the greater 

 root growth in distilled water than in the solutions of the combined salts, 

 which result the writer is wholly unable to duplicate. It is noteworthy 



