Sodium activity of insect blood: physiological significance and relevance to the design of physiological saline.

The apparent activity coefficients for sodium (gamma'Na) in the blood of six insect species have been calculated from measurements made with sodium-selective electrodes and a flame photometer. In every case gamma Na was significantly lower than that for this cation in free solution (gammaNa). In Periplaneta americana gammaNa varied considerably, during a period of 90 days, so that a relatively constant sodium activity (aNa) was maintained in the blood in the face of large variations in the total sodium content measured by flame photometry. Despite the relative constancy of aNa (of around 0.088M) appreciable fluctuations were observed in the sodium and potassium content of nervous connective over a period of 140 days. The values of aNa and aK were used to devise a satisfactory cockroach saline for use in experiments with isolated nerve cords.