A study of the mechanism of water transfer across frog skin by a comparison of the permeability of the skin to deuterated and tritiated water.

1. Frog abdominal skins were placed between the two half-cells of a modified version of Ussing's frog skin apparatus.2. The rate of equilibration of deuterated and tritiated water across the skin was followed at pH 5.0, 6.9, and 8.0 with Ringer solution bathing both surfaces of the skin; and at pH 7.0 with sulphate Ringer solution bathing both surfaces of the skin.3. The ratio of the permeability coefficients for the influx of deuterated and tritiated water had a mean value over all the experiments of 0.9954 +/- 0.0207, n = 27, indicating that no isotope effect was observable within the limits of accuracy of the experimental method.4. The thickness of the unstirred layers associated with the frog skin was measured, and, from the data obtained, values of the true permeability coefficients for each isotope were calculated.