Sedimentation velocity of Loxodes striatus immobilized by MnCl sub(2)

The sedimentation of Loxodes striatus was determined for g-values between 1g and 5g employing a new method of immobilization by MnCl sub(2), and using a low-speed centrifuge microscope to induce hypergravity. Cells immobilized by MnCl sub(2) can be used for at least 4 hours compared to 30-60 minutes after common immobilization in solutions of NiCl sub(2). The sedimentation rates of Loxodes, as determined from the medians of several hundred cells, agree with published values of NiCl sub(2)-immobilized cells. The sedimentation velocities between 1g and 2g are fitted by a linear regression line resulting in an extrapolated rate of 42 mu m/s at 1g. Deviations of the measured values from this linearity at higher accelerations are explained by a methodical experimental variable assuming that proportionality between sedimentation rate and acceleration is applicable according to Stokes' law.