NOTE ON SYRUP OF IIYPOPHOSPHJTE OF IRON. 
463 
Granulated Sulphate of Iron . . . 480 grs. 
Hypophosphite of Lime .... 326 grs. 
Dilute Phosphoric Acid . . . . 1 fl. oz. 
Water.1^ oz. 
Syrup.q. s. 
Dissolve, without heat, the sulphate of iron in the phosphoric acid, previously 
mixed with the water. Rub the hypophosphite to fine powder, and pour on it 
the solution of the sydphate of iron. Triturate together for two or three minutes, 
then pour the mixture on to a piece of damped calico, and squeeze out the liquid 
as far as possible with the hands. Filter the solution so obtained into a measure- 
glass, and add to it seven times its volume of strong syrup. The resulting syrup 
contains 2 grs. of hypophosphite of iron, Fe(PH 2 0 2 ) 2 , in each fluid drachm. The 
time occupied in its preparation need not exceed a quarter of an hour. As hypo¬ 
phosphite of lime is now in general use, the materials are always at hand, and 
the syrup may therefore be prepared at the time it is wanted, its goodness and uni¬ 
formity being thereby ensured. It is true that the syrup so obtained is con¬ 
taminated with minute quantities of lime and sulphuric acid. But it must be 
borne in mind that the amount of sulphate of lime held in solution by '2\ oz. of 
liquid is so small that its proportion in the syrup must be very minute. 
It is very probable that this process for preparing the syrup has beeu resorted to 
by other operators, but as no description of it has been published, it seemed 
desirable to give it insertion in the Pharmaceutical Journal. It is obvious 
that the same method is applicable to the production of the syrup of hypo¬ 
phosphite of iron and quinine,—sulphate of quinine being decomposed by hypo¬ 
phosphite of lime in the presence of a free acid. 
Mr. Umney remarked that Mr. Wood had not alluded to a process given by 
Mr. Harry Draper, who published a small work on salts of iron, in which he 
mentioned a syrup containing about 1 gr. of hypophosphite. He (Mr. Umney) 
endorsed what Mr. Wood had said, that the process hitherto adopted was very 
unsatisfactory, and he thought the process now given would be a great improve¬ 
ment. 
Dr. Attfield said he should like to know whether Mr. Wood had had any 
experience in the preparation of the substance which was the source of all these 
hypophosphites, namely, hypophosphite of lime. It was said that there w r as 
some danger in the preparation of it. He had never made any quantity of it 
himself, only a few grains, and he had never found any danger ; but a friend 
of his, who made several pounds at one time, met with an explosion in the pre¬ 
paration of it. He was using rather a high temperature, and afterwards made 
many more batches without trouble, simply drying his hypophosphite of lime 
at a low temperature of about 130° or 140°. Had Mr. Wood had any experience 
in the preparation of those substances from which he got the hypophosphite of 
iron ? 
Mr. Wood said he had not attempted to manufacture hypophosphite of lime 
in any quantity, not so much from any apprehension of danger in its produc¬ 
tion as from an apprehension of nuisance, because by the ordinary process 
phosphoretted hydrogen was given off, and that was a very disagreeable and 
offensive gas, and would prove an inconvenience to the neighbourhood. He 
might mention, however, that he had tried upon a small scale a process recom¬ 
mended some years back by a foreigner, whose name he had forgotten, who sug¬ 
gested the introduction of a certain proportion of alcohol among the ingredients, 
and he stated that, under these circumstances, a larger yield of hypophosphite 
of lime was obtained. He (Mr. Wood) had tried a small quantity by way of 
curiosity, but it did not appear to him that it was quite so effective as the 
description led him to suppose. 
