Scientific Proceedings. 



19 



The results of this and similar experiments with acetic acid 

 throw new light on the well known fact that peptolysis is almost 

 negative in solutions of acetic acid alone. This lack of peptolytic 

 efficiency on the part of acetic acid is apparently due to the low 

 hydrion concentration of acetic acid solutions. The acetic acid 

 molecules and anions, in the proportions above indicated, seem to 

 be practically inert. It is obvious that peptolysis is neither favored 

 nor interfered with materially by moderate amounts of acetic acid, 

 a fact which suggests that the purely chemical phases of the normal 

 gastric digestive process are practically unaffected by vinegar. 

 Secretory conditions, however, are no doubt modified. 



Experiments in this and other connections will shortly be com- 

 pleted before the detailed publication of our results. 



0.9 gram-atom per 1,000 liters, the dissociation of the same proportion of acetic acid in 

 an m\zo hydrochloric acid solutionis reduced to 0.018 gram-atom per 1,000 liters. For 

 this reason the H> concentration of the mixed acids is practically that of the hydro- 

 chloric acid (w/20) in each case. The dissociation of the hydrochloric acid was not 

 materially affected by the acetic acid in the mixtures used. 



