Properties of Water of Biological Interest

Abstract

A review of all significant investigations on the association of water and the properties which this may influence. The more important papers on "trihydrol" covering the period 1879 to 1933 are reviewed and a few other important contributions dealing with related water problems are briefly summarized. The authors note that the most recent comprehensive analysis of water structure (Rao, 1934) supports the old mono-, di- and trihydrol hypothesis. Additional data are given relative to the authors'' Euglena experiments and the freezing times of ice and steam water. It is concluded that all water contains "trihydrol" aggregates whose conc. varies with temp. and to a less extent with pressure and the conc. of solutes, and that there may exist a considerable time factor in the attainment of association equilibrium under certain conditions; and that the molecular complexity of water has well recognized biological consequences such as the stability at ordinary temps. of this compound of elements with such low boiling points as H and O; and the hypothesis is considered that the conc. of polymers in ice water may exert new and little known effects on certain types of living cells.