Chapter 8

THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS OTHER SALTS AND ACIDS ON THE LEAVES.

Salts of sodium, potassium, and other alkaline, earthy, and metallic salts--Summary on the action of these salts--Various acids--Summary on their action.

HAVING found that the salts of ammonia were so powerful, I was led to investigate the action of some other salts. It will be convenient, first, to give a list of the substances tried (including forty-nine salts and two metallic acids), divided into two columns, showing those which cause inflection, and those which do not do so, or only doubtfully. My experiments were made by placing half-minim drops on the discs of leaves, or, more commonly, by immersing them in the solutions; and sometimes by both methods. A summary of the results, with some concluding remarks, will then be given. The action of various acids will afterwards be described.

COLUMN 1 : SALTS CAUSING INFLECTION. COLUMN 2 : SALTS NOT CAUSING INFLECTION.

(Arranged in Groups according to the Chemical Classification in Watts' 'Dictionary of Chemistry.')

Sodium carbonate, rapid inflection. : Potassium carbonate: slowly poisonous. Sodium nitrate, rapid inflection. : Potassium nitrate: somewhat poisonous. Sodium sulphate, moderately rapid inflection. : Potassium sulphate. Sodium phosphate, very rapid inflection. : Potassium phosphate. Sodium citrate, rapid inflection. : Potassium citrate. Sodium oxalate; rapid inflection. Sodium chloride, moderately rapid inflection. : Potassium chloride.

COLUMN 1 : SALTS CAUSING INFLECTION. COLUMN 2 : SALTS NOT CAUSING INFLECTION.

(Arranged in Groups according to the Chemical Classification in Watts' 'Dictionary of Chemistry.')

Sodium iodide, rather slow inflection. : Potassium iodide, a slight and doubtful amount of inflection. Sodium bromide, moderately rapid inflection. : Potassium bromide. Potassium oxalate, slow and doubtful inflection. : Lithium nitrate, moderately rapid inflection. : Lithium acetate. Caesium chloride, rather slow inflection. : Rubidium chloride. Silver nitrate, rapid inflection: quick poison. : Cadmium chloride, slow inflection. : Calcium acetate. Mercury perchloride, rapid inflection: quick poison. : Calcium nitrate. : Magnesium acetate. : Magnesium nitrate. : Magnesium chloride. : Magnesium sulphate. : Barium acetate. : Barium nitrate. : Strontium acetate. : Strontium nitrate. : Zinc chloride.

Aluminium chloride, slow and doubtful inflection. : Aluminium nitrate, a trace of inflection. Gold chloride, rapid inflection: quick poison. : Aluminium and potassium sulphate.

Tin chloride, slow inflection: poisonous. : Lead chloride.

Antimony tartrate, slow inflection: probably poisonous. Arsenious acid, quick inflection: poisonous. Iron chloride, slow inflection: probably poisonous. : Manganese chloride. Chromic acid, quick inflection: highly poisonous. Copper chloride, rather slow in flection: poisonous. :