Minor elements in soil and their effect on forage and feeding cattle with special reference to their significance as tracers of evolution of some complex organic structures: as determined by application of goldschmidt’s law

Summary

There are many gaps in our knowledge of the biological interrelationships and antagonisms of the trace elements. For example, there are certain animal deficiency diseases of Cu and Co which plant analyses for these elements do not reveal unless there is an understanding of the elements which antagonise them and of those related.

The application of Goldschmidt’s law to the replacements of atoms and ions in complex crystal structures (in the form that such replacements are possible only when the size of the atoms concerned agree within 10% of each other) coupled with a knowledge of the changes in valency and oxidation reduction systems involved, has been shown in this paper to elucidate many of these relationships and antagonisms.

The essentiality of Cu and Co for hæmoglobin formation, the cause of anæmia due their deficiencies and how they are antagonised by Mo are shown, as also the essentiality of Mo for N fixation and the antagonism between Cu and Pb in the sway-back diseases. The essentiality of Fe, Cu. Mn and Mg for chloryphyl formation and the possible steps in the evolution of chloryphyl and hæmoglobin from cytochrome by the combined action of intermediary metal atoms have been traced along with the biological antagonism between Se and S. A consequence of this is the greater importance of Mo for leguminous plants compared to others with a tendency for the deficiency in cattle of Cu in countries where legumes and the like are extensively grown.