250 Phillips' Remarks on the 



muriate de fer. Why this tincture could not be prepared by 

 dissolving peroxide of iron in muriatic acid, which is much less 

 troublesome, does not appear. 



Muriate d'ammoniaque et de fer, is prepared by dissolving 

 the muriates together in water, evaporating the solution to 

 dryness, and then subliming the mass. 



Tartrate de potasse, et de fer liquide, is a very imperfect pre- 

 paration. Many days' digestion are required to cause tartar 

 to act perfectly upon iron, but to obtain this solution 24 hours' 

 digestion and two hours' boiling are judged sufficient. This 

 preparation is followed by one which is called simply " tartrate 

 de potasse et de fer ;" it is still more imperfect than the former ; 

 the directions are to boil together to dryness 160 parts of the 

 above described solution with 40 of tartrate of potash. The 

 object of this preparation is not easily discoverable. 



These two preparations are followed by tartrate de potasse 

 et de fer solide ; to procure this compound, tartar is to be 

 digested for several days with half its weight of iron filings, 

 and moistened with water and alcohol. The use of the spirit 

 I cannot discover. The mass is to be evaporated to such an 

 extent that it may be made into balls. Now these balls will 

 consist of a mixture of tartrate of potash and iron, with a 

 large quantity of iron filings totally unacted upon, for tartar 

 dissolves scarcely more than one fourth its weight of iron filings 

 instead of one half, as here ordered. 



The last preparation of iron appears to be quite insignificant ; 

 it is malate of iron, obtained from iron filings and the juice of 

 apples. 



In concluding, it is to be observed that the arrangement of 

 this pharmacopoeia is of the most extraordinary and incompre- 

 hensible nature. Allowing for a moment that the placing the 

 metals together is a good plan, it would be natural that they 

 should be immediately followed by the metallic salts ; but in- 

 stead of this, the preparation of precipitated sulphur (by a bad 

 method,) of phosphorus, and a chapter on aethers and alcoholized 

 acids, follow metallic oxides ; then alcaline and earthy salts, 

 and then metallic salts ; in fact, without having stated nearly 



