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Scientific Proceedings (130) 



it exists primarily in three forms — dissolved C0 2 molecules, dis- 

 solved undissociated H 2 C0 3 molecules and dissociated H 2 CO s — 

 thus C0 2 H 2 C0 3 ^ H HCO3. Addition of sodium bicar- 

 bonate to the solution pushes the reaction to the left increasing 

 both the dissolved C0 2 and the undissociated H 2 C0 3 . If we 

 accept the view that the dissolved C0 2 and the undissociated 

 H 2 C0 3 diffuse freely into cells while the ions as such do not 

 penetrate to any appreciable extent it is apparent that the in- 

 jection of sodium bicarbonate increases the freely diffusable 

 forms of carbon dioxide at the expense of the poorly diffusible 

 ions and in that way increases the acid effects of the blood, at 

 least on the interior of the cells (and possibly in the lymph bath- 

 ing the cells as will be discussed in a later paper) even though 

 the actual sum total of the original dissolved carbon dioxide in 

 its various forms is not increased and the hydrogen ion concen- 

 trate of the blood is actually decreased. This alone should re- 

 sult in the diffusion of carbon dioxide against a positive gradient. 

 That is, the injection of sodium bicarbonate should theoretically 

 tend to produce acidosis along with alkalemia by the accumula- 

 tion of carbon dioxide in the tissues. The hyperpnea, the rise 

 in blood pressure and the shortening of apnea artificially pro- 

 duced by forced ventilation suggests that a slight degree of 

 acidosis is actually produced. 



But this view neglects entirely the effects of the H and HC0 3 

 ions. The justification of this perhaps might be questioned. In 

 so far as lactic acid appears to diffuse in the dissociated condi- 

 tion from the tissues to the blood there appears to be no reason 

 why the dissociated carbonic acid should not also diffuse. 



Arrhenius showed that the addition of a salt to a solution of 

 its acid increased the diffusion of the acid into water solution, 

 for example the addition of sodium chloride to a solution of 

 hydrochloric acid increases the rate of diffusion of hydrochloric 

 acid. The phenomenon depends on the increase of the common 

 anion, CI and the relative mobility of the cation H and Na. 



By means of a simple diffusion experiment without the aid of a 

 membrane and with the use of indicators the diffusion of acid 

 from a point of lower concentration to a point of higher con- 

 centration can be demonstrated to occur within a few seconds. 

 This prenomenon would appear to be of considerable signifi- 

 cance. 



