Abstract
(1) The pH value of the sap extracted from the vacuoles of small living cells of Valonia macrophysa is found to be pH 5.4. The pH value remains unaltered for several hours, i. e., much longer than the period required for the extraction of sap and subsequent measurement with the glass electrode.
(2) 0.01% cresyl blue penetrating (in about 20 minutes) from the sea water at pH 9.5, raises the pH value of the sap 0.5 pH. This increase is 0.2 pH less than the rise brought about by the addition of 0.01% free base of cresyl blue to sap in vitro.
(3) 0.03% cresyl blue penetrating (in about 1 hour) raises the pH value about 0.9 pH, which is about 0.4 pH less than the rise brought about by the addition of 0.03% cresyl blue free base to sap in vitro.
(4) If cells are kept 8 hours longer in this cresyl blue solution, they appear to be still in good condition, so that it is likely that the cells described under (2) and (3) are not at all injured.
(5) No alteration in the pH value of the sap occurs when cells are placed even for 8 hours in sea water at pH 9.5 containing no dye.
(6) Azure B penetrating the sap also increases the pH value, and this increase is again less than the increase brought about by addition of azure B free base in vitro. Owing to a slower penetration and greater toxicity of azure B as compared to cresyl blue, these results on azure B are rather unsatisfactory but experiments are being continued.
(7) The penetration of dye from methylene blue solution at pH 9.5 is still slower than from the azure B solution, so that sufficiently accurate results are not obtainable before the cells are injured but experiments are being continued.
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