Abstract
A CRYOSCOPIC method of measuring the osmotic pressures of very small quantities of fluid (10โ6 c.c.) has recently been described by Ramsay1. The principle of the method is to place the liquid in a quartz capillary and freeze it by immersion in solid carbon dioxide. The system is then warmed and the temperature at which the smallest observable ice crystal remains in equilibrium with the liquid is noted. This constitutes the freezing-point depression. This method can be used for measuring the osmotic pressure of single cells and strips of muscle 50โ200 ยต in diameter, material of these dimensions being sufficiently transparent for the ice crystals to be clearly seen.
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References
Ramsay, J. A., J. Exp. Biol., 26, 57 (1949).
Luckรฉ, B., and Harvey, E. N., J. Cell. Comp. Physiol., 5, 473 (1935).
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POTTS, W. Measurement of Osmotic Pressure in Single Cells. Nature 169, 834 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/169834a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/169834a0
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