Passive electrical properties of rod outer segments

1. Measurements on a packed suspension of randomly oriented, dark-adapted frog rods at frequencies of 15 c/s-0.5 Mc/s indicate a behaviour similar to that of other biological materials.2. Results are analysed on the assumption that the low-frequency limiting resistance is determined by current flowing in the suspending medium and that, of the rods, two thirds are oriented perpendicular to the applied field and one third parallel to it. Those parallel to the field are treated as non-conductors.3. From the high-frequency limiting resistance the conductivity of the rod interior is calculated to vary linearly with the conductivity of the medium. The slope of the relation of internal to external conductivity is 0.50 with a limiting internal conductivity (at zero external) of 280 mumho/cm.4. On the assumption that the suspension can be represented as a single-capacitance network, the characteristic frequency of impedance is used to calculate a capacitance for the rod surface of 1.54 muF/cm(2). On the assumption of a distribution in properties of the suspension according to the theory of Bruggeman, the capacitance is calculated to have a value of about one half this.5. At frequencies below 5 kc/s the impedance locus deviates from the curve describing the behaviour at higher frequencies. It is suggested that this may involve conduction in a thin layer extending along the surface of the rod.