Interchange of the Ammonium and Potassium Ions in Muscle and Yeast

Abstract

SINCE the muscle membrane is permeable to the ammonium ion, from the theory of potassium equilibria previously described^1,2, the following should hold: where a,a₁, k,k₁ and h,h₁ are the concentrations of ammonium, potassium and hydrogen ions outside and inside the membrane. On investigation, it appeared that the ammonium ion (or possibly the minute amount of associated free base) has a marked effect on the membrane itself, all ratios being lowered across it (Fenn and Cobb have described such an effect of ammonia on potassium³).