Diphasic Liquid Systems and Bio-electrical 
Phenomena, 
by 
DOROTHY HAYNES, 
Depart went of Plant Physiology and Pathology, Imperial College of Science and Technology. 
T HE writer is glad to have the opportunity of replying to Dr. Beutner’s 
paper in this Journal (pp 673-7). It is felt that certain points have been 
left somewhat obscure, and it is desired to revise one or two statements which 
as they stand are incorrect. Dr. Beutner complains of various misrepresenta¬ 
tions ; the writer much regrets if she has misunderstood any material point, 
but as Dr. Beutner avoids all detail of these it is impossible to ascertain the 
grounds of his complaint. In dealing with the specific questions which he has 
brought forward it has been thought useful to summarize briefly the points 
at issue. 
The difficulty in dealing with Dr. Beutner’s systems lies in-the fact that 
they are not in true equilibrium. It had been assumed in the original criti¬ 
cism that in the case of non-acid oils equilibrium is rapidly reached at the 
surface, but beyond this there exists a small zone into which soluble salt 
diffuses. In a recent review of some part of Dr. Beutner’s work Gardner 1 
interprets his results on the assumption that the penetration of electrolytes 
is strictly confined to the surface layer ; this accounts for the rapid estab¬ 
lishment of equilibrium which Dr. Beutner observed as well as for the 
numerical results he obtained, but it is difficult to reconcile the assumption 
with a distribution by diffusion, and it is interesting to notice that Baur, 1 
working on similar lines, has adopted an adsorption formula. It may be 
suggested, however, that rapid diffusion may quite possibly be confined 
to a thin film into which water penetrates, since Dr. Beutner’s measurements 
of potential appear to have been carried out on dry oils, while his 
estimates of concentration were deduced from changes of conductivity in 
these oils after they had been shaken up with aqueous solutions. It should 
be remarked that it was not intended to suggest that Dr. Beutner denied 
1 Fourth Report on Colloid Chemistry, p. 116, Brit. Assoc. 
Annals of Botany, Vol. XXXVII. No. CXLVII. October, 1923.] 
