122 Prof. A. J. Brown and Mr. F. Tinker. Absorption of 



Temp 19 C. 



To 























/v 



















/ /*> 































D/AGR 



AM / 























ffS 



\ 

 i 



^55 



sol 



zo 



6o ao joo 

 Time in /hours 



izo 



140 



1GO 



An inspection of the above Table, and its corresponding curve, shows that 

 the rate of absorption gradually falls off in each case as the equilibrium 

 point is reached. But it will be seen also that the time in which equilibrium 

 is attained is considerably shorter for the phenolic solutions than for water. 

 Each of the phenols, with the exception of pyrogallol, exerts a marked 

 accelerating effect on the rate at which its solution is absorbed, the order in 

 which they do this being — (1) phenol, (2) catechol, (3) resorcinol and 

 quinol, (4) pyrogallol and water. The rates of absorption for solutions 

 of resorcinol and quinol, on the one hand, and pyrogallol and water on 

 the other, are practically identical* 



(b) Seeds in Seminormol Phenolic Solutions at 32 - 2° C. — In this series all 

 the essential factors were kept the same as in the previous series, with the 

 exception that the temperature was raised from 19° C. to 32 - 2° C. A small 

 rise in temperature is accompanied by a great increase in the velocity of 

 moisture absorption. This greatly increased rate is shown in Table II. 

 Whereas the equilibrium is attained only after six or seven days at a 

 temperature of 19° C, it is reached after two or three days at 32 - 2° C.f 



* It is also worthy of note that a high rate of absorption also seems to be accompanied 

 by a slight raising of the equilibrium point ; for instance, the weight of phenol absorbed 

 by the seeds when these are in equilibrium with the surrounding solution is 0'2 grm. 

 greater than the weight of water absorbed at equilibrium. This figure is too great to be 

 accounted for by the slightly greater density of seminormal phenol solution. 



t The comparison is only a rough one, since the samples of seeds were different ones in 

 the two cases, and the initial moisture-content different also. But it has been shown 

 elsewhere (Brown and Worley, loc. cit.) that the velocity of absorption is an exponential 

 function of the temperature, which increases very rapidly. 



