STUDIES ON THE PERMEABILITY OF MEMBRANES : IV. VARIATIONS OF TRANSFER NUMBERS WITH THE DRIED COLLODION MEMBRANE...

The transfer number of Cl in a KCl solution within the pores of a dried collodion membrane is always lower than 0.5. It depends on the concentration of the solution and decreases in general with decreasing concentration. However, the transfer number for any given KCl concentration has the significance of a definite and constant figure only when an infinitely small amount of coulombs is allowed to pass through the system. For finite durations of electric transfer experiments a polarization effect will always change the original transfer number. This polarization consists in an accumulation of the salt at the one boundary and a diminution at the other boundary of the membrane. Again, as the transfer number strongly depends on concentration, this change in concentration will bring about in its turn a gradual change in the transfer number too. It is shown under what conditions the transfer numbers for the anion as obtained by electic transfer experiments are higher or lower than the ones expected without polarization effect. Thus, by changing the character and magnitude of the force driving the ions across the membranes, and according to the history of previous treatment of the membrane, the whole character of what we may call the specific permeablity for ions of the membrane may be varied without any substantial change of the membrane itself concerning its structure, its chemical composition, or its pore size. Contemplation of the results obtained in this series of experiments in the light of the theoretical considerations just outlined has impressed us with the fallacy of speaking of the definite permeability of any type of membrane for electrolytes. The behavior of the membrane toward the passage of electrolytes depends on a variety of conditions. It may be recalled that different investigators have reported widely varying results concerning the permeability of certain physiological membranes for electrolytes. Such experiments as have been described in this paper may lead to an understanding of some of the factors responsible for such variations. We are aware that the collodion membrane in its simplicity is scarcely comparable to the extremely complicated biological membranes. Nevertheless any attempts to understand better the behavior of biological membranes may wisely begin with a study of the simplest prototypes.