﻿True 
  — 
  Toxic 
  Action 
  of 
  Acids 
  on 
  Lupinus 
  Albus. 
  183 
  

  

  Art. 
  XYIII. 
  — 
  The 
  Toxic 
  Action 
  of 
  a 
  Series 
  of 
  Acids 
  and 
  

   of 
  their 
  Sodium 
  Salts 
  on 
  Lupinus 
  Albus 
  / 
  by 
  Rodney 
  H. 
  

   True. 
  

  

  In 
  former 
  papers 
  (1 
  and 
  2*) 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  toxic 
  action 
  of 
  

   dissolved 
  salts 
  and 
  their 
  electrolytic 
  dissociation, 
  Dr. 
  Kahlen- 
  

   berg 
  and 
  I 
  presented 
  some 
  evidence 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  

   the 
  ionization 
  of 
  the 
  molecule 
  on 
  the 
  poisonous 
  properties 
  

   exerted 
  by 
  these 
  substances 
  on 
  the* 
  radicles 
  of 
  Lupinus 
  albus. 
  

  

  In 
  those 
  papers 
  the 
  belief 
  was 
  expressed 
  that 
  the 
  toxicity 
  of 
  

   acids 
  was 
  in 
  very 
  large 
  part 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  hydrogen 
  

   ions 
  formed 
  in 
  the 
  aqueous 
  solution. 
  The 
  question 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   toxicity 
  of 
  the 
  anions 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  residual 
  undissociated 
  mole- 
  

   cules, 
  in 
  case 
  ionization 
  was 
  not 
  complete, 
  was 
  raised 
  and 
  post- 
  

   E)ned 
  for 
  treatment 
  in 
  a 
  further 
  paper. 
  Accordingly, 
  in 
  1896, 
  

   r. 
  Kahlenberg 
  and 
  I 
  began 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  toxic 
  action 
  of 
  

   the 
  sodium 
  salts 
  of 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  acids 
  for 
  comparison 
  with 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  acids 
  themselves. 
  Considerable 
  time 
  has 
  elapsed 
  since 
  

   then, 
  and 
  now, 
  with 
  the 
  consent 
  of 
  my 
  colleague, 
  I 
  have 
  put 
  

   together 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  study. 
  Dr. 
  Kahlenberg 
  is, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  chemical 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  experimental 
  

   work: 
  for 
  the 
  botanical 
  part 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  formulation 
  of 
  the 
  

   results 
  embodied 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  I, 
  myself, 
  am 
  responsible. 
  

  

  Methods. 
  — 
  Since 
  the 
  method 
  used 
  has 
  been 
  elsewhere 
  

   described 
  (1) 
  in 
  detail, 
  it 
  will 
  suffice 
  "to 
  say 
  here 
  that 
  radicles 
  of 
  

   Lupinus 
  albus 
  were 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  con- 
  

   centrations 
  of 
  the 
  aqueous 
  solutions 
  of 
  the 
  compounds 
  involved, 
  

   and 
  the 
  greatest 
  concentration 
  observed, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  primary 
  

   roots 
  survived 
  after 
  an 
  exposure 
  of 
  twenty-four 
  hours. 
  

  

  The 
  sodium 
  salts 
  were 
  prepared 
  by 
  adding 
  to 
  solutions 
  of 
  

   the 
  acids 
  chemically 
  equivalent 
  quantities 
  of 
  sodium 
  hydroxide 
  

  

  Discussion 
  of 
  Principles 
  Involved. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  well 
  established 
  

   fact 
  of 
  chemistry 
  that 
  if, 
  to 
  a 
  solution 
  of 
  an 
  acid, 
  an 
  equivalent 
  

   amount 
  of 
  a 
  strong 
  base 
  like 
  NaOH 
  be 
  added, 
  a 
  clean-cut 
  reac- 
  

   tion 
  will 
  take 
  place, 
  resulting 
  in 
  the 
  substitution 
  of 
  the 
  metal 
  

   (Na 
  in 
  the 
  compound 
  cited) 
  for 
  the 
  H 
  of 
  the 
  acid, 
  and 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  water. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  physiological 
  activitv 
  of 
  H 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  

  

  + 
  

   very 
  great 
  (2 
  and 
  3) 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  JNa 
  relatively 
  very 
  slight, 
  (1) 
  

  

  the 
  effectiveness 
  of 
  the 
  H 
  component 
  may 
  be 
  roughly 
  tested 
  

   by 
  comparing 
  the 
  toxic 
  activity 
  of 
  the 
  acid 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  its 
  

   sodium 
  salt, 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  ionization 
  being 
  borne 
  

   in 
  mind. 
  As 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  acids 
  dissociate 
  in 
  varying 
  degrees 
  

   of 
  completeness 
  and 
  the 
  anions 
  or 
  acid 
  radicles 
  may 
  be 
  signifi- 
  

   * 
  See 
  Bibliography, 
  p. 
  192. 
  

  

  