BIOELECTRICAL POTENTIAL IN HEAVY WATER

Abstract

Belly skin from the frog showed a consistent drop in potential when 96% D2O was substituted for distilled water as a solvent for Ringer''s and a conducting medium. Characteristic falls in peak potential in 4 skins transferred to D2O Ringer''s were 46.6-212 mv; 90.2-34.4 mv; 83.3-25.5 mv; 382-20.8 my. The author concludes that the E.M.F. of the skin is produced by a continuous metabolic process and that many of the physiological effects of D2O may be essentially electrical.