THe PuHysioLtoGicaL Errects oF Ions 455 
the same volume of the solvent. In these experiments the 
solvent was not a 0.7 per cent. NaCl solution, but a 0.585 per 
cent. NaCl solution. To each 100 c.c. of this solution were 
added 5 c.c. of a 0.365 per cent. HCl, or a 0.49 per cent. 
H,SO,, or a 0.63 per cent. HNO, solution—that is, 5 c.c. 
of a one-tenth normal solution of these acids. The Roman 
numerals indicate the series of experiments; the Arabic fig- 
ures indicate here, as in the following tables, the increase in 
weight which each muscle shows in percentage of its original 
weight after remaining for one hour in the solution. The 
equation V—210 means in this case, as in the following 
tables, that 1 or 4 mol. of the electrolyte is dissolved in 210 
liters of water. 
TABLE I 
(V= 210) 
| I II III IV Vv Average 
HNO,...... 8.6% 7.6% 1.3% 7.6% 8.0% 7.8% 
HCl........ 8.2 7.8 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.7 
14 H,SO, 8.4 6.7 7.9 7.9 9.6 8.1 
It can easily be seen that the results in each series of 
experiments harmonize to such an extent that one could 
easily forget that we are dealing with effects on living 
tissues. The variations between the values of the individual 
series of experiments can be explained by the differences in 
the state of the experimental material. In general, all the 
results of the same series of experiments show relatively 
high values (I and V), or relatively low values (for example, 
II). The temperature has much to do with these variations, 
but is not the only circumstance of importance. 
From these experiments it can be said that solutions of 
these three acids, which contain the same number of hydrogen 
atoms in the same volume, have quantitatively the same 
effects on the increase in the weight of (the amount of water 
absorbed by) the muscle. 
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