Studies in the metabolism of Plant Cells VII. The Quantitative Relation Between Salt Accumulation and Salt Respiration

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Abstract
This paper presents evidence of the quantitative relation between salt accumulation and salt respiration in plant cells. Results of expts. on carrot tissue are given and similar results obtained by other workers with other tissues are discussed. Expts. with chlorides show that the rates of salt accumulation and of salt respiration are dependent on external concn. When neither rate is limited by concn., the number of molecules of salt accumulated is of the same order of magnitude as the number of electrons eliminated in salt respiration. This is based on the assumption that each oxygen molecule taken up in respiration requires 4 H ions and 4 electrons supplied by the respiratory carrier to form water. These observations are consistent with Lundegardh''s hypothesis that the electron carrier of respiration behaves as an anion carrier in accumulation, while the cations exchange with H ions. This hypothesis and the difficulties of testing it experimentally are discussed in detail; it is concluded that this hypothesis accords with most observations.

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