EFFECTS OF VARIOUS AGENTS ON THE STRUCTURAL VISCOSITY OF ELODEA PROTOPLASM

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Abstract
The centrifuge method was used to determine the effects of various agents on protoplasmic viscosity in cells of Elodea. Concs, of 2% ethylene chlorhydrin, 3% thiourea, 4% ether, 6% ethyl alcohol, 3.5% propyl alcohol, 1.5% butyl alcohol, 0.0001 M cupric chloride, or 0.001 M ZnSO4 conditioned decreases in the structural viscosity when the exposures were 2 hrs. or less. Decreases in viscosity were presumed to result from dissociations (that is, the splitting of long molecules into units of smaller size) of protoplasmic proteins. Concs. 1/2-1/4 of those above also decreased the viscosity; with concs, greater than those mentioned, an initial decrease in viscosity was usually followed by an increase. Plasmolysis with 0.6 [image] sucrose or 0.3 [image] KC1 conditioned a decrease in viscosity. The protoplasmic viscosity was lower at a temp. of 3[degree] C than it was at 21[degree] C. It is suggested that the dissociation of protoplasmic proteins conditions increased rates of respiration, polysaccharide hydrolysis, and imbibition and that the dissociation may be primarily responsible for the breaking of rest periods.