Distinction between Sodium and Potassium in Change in Permeability effected by Lipid-soluble Analogues of Acetylcholine

Abstract

B. C. Abbott, A. V. Hill and J. V. Howarth have recently found that a rather strong positive heat roughly coinciding with the active phase follows within 100–300 msec. by a marked negative heat¹. These results make untenable the assumption of a purely physical process underlying the bioelectric currents during nerve activity as proposed by Hodgkin and his associates. Further support for the necessity of a chemical reaction are the observations of Schoffeniels² with the isolated single electroplax of Electrophorus electricus: he found a Q ₁₀ of 3.6 for the action potential; the activation energy is 21,000 cal./mole.