Abstract
Coagulation experiments show that tetramethylammonium ions have a strong affinity for SiO 2 particles and a very weak affinity for TiO 2. Since tetraalkylammonium groups are present in the extracellular region of the erythrocyte membrane, it could explain why erythrocytes are lysed by SiO 2, but not by TiO 2. As the membrano-toxicity of silica is related to its fibrogenic activity, the strong affinity of SiO 2 particles for tetraalkylammonium groups could be implicated in silicosis. The experiments also give some information about the interactions between silica and the positively charged groups of proteins.
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