334 
PHARMACEUTICAL meeting. 
No. 1 was beautifully clear, no colour, it being as clear and colourless as pos¬ 
sible. 
Neither was there any brown or other skim on the surface of the syrup, nor 
was there any precipitate, nor black mark round the cork as is generally the 
case with most preparations of iron. 
No. 2 bottle had no visible difference in it, the colour being about the same. 
No. 2.—Syrup made many months ago, and having been kept in a stone bottle 
without any light, had gone a very deep amber colour. This was put in three 
different bottles, one a twenty-ounce green stoppered bottle, one a twelve-ounce 
ordinary blue medicine bottle, and the other a small white two-ounce phial, half¬ 
way round which was put a piece of clean white paper, so as to traverse the 
whole length of the bottle, but only reaching halfway round it. 
In each citric acid was put in the proportion of one grain to the ounce. After 
two days I examined the three bottles, when I observed the following:— 
That syrup in the twenty-ounce green bottle was about one half as much dis¬ 
coloured as originally. That in the twelve-ounce medicine phial was still clearer 
than the last, in fact was almost clear. That in the small two-ounce white phial 
was perfectly clear, and is so yet. There was, nor is, not any skim on the sur¬ 
face, neither was there any precipitate. 
No. 3 was syrup out of the same large jar as the last, and with citric acid in 
the same proportion ; but, instead of being put in a white bottle, it was put in 
an ordinary deep blue syrup bottle. Several days after putting the syrup in 
the bottle, and keeping it in the dark, I examined it, and found it was slightly 
bleached ; and, although kept in the same position, it does not become any 
clearer than it has been before,—thereby, I think, clearly proving a bright 
light, combined with citric acid in the above proportions, is all that is required 
to clarify and decolorize and keep clear this most elegant medicine. 
In the paper by Mr. Carteighe, he speaks of using tartaric acid, as recom¬ 
mended by Mr. Jeaunel; but I think, from the foregoing experiments and re¬ 
sults, citric acid is to be preferred to the tartaric acid for two reasons,—firstly, 
on account of its being quicker in its action ; and, secondly, it is a much nicer 
acid than the tartaric, and more certain in its action. Mr. Carteighe speaks of 
a brown skim found on the surface of a syrup in which tartaric acid has been 
put. Is it possible that a decomposition of the iodine (which is a very uncer¬ 
tain article) takes place, and that, by so doing, it causes the tartaric acid to form 
along with the iron in the syrup a tartrate of iron ? If so, the action of the 
syrup may not agree with what a practitioner might expect; whereas, in the 
case of citric acid, there being no skim on the syrup, nor any precipitate, nor 
any other visible effect on the syrup beyond the bleaching of it, may We not in¬ 
fer that citric acid is by far the better acid to use? I find that syrup always 
kept in the dark is very apt to crystallize as well as turn brown unless the syrup 
is very carefully made, and that, iron wire being put in, the syrup will crystal¬ 
lize on the wire sooner and in greater quantities than on the bottom or sides of 
the bottle. I think, from the foregoing experiments and results, that we may 
infer that syrup of iodide of iron, exposed to a bright light in white bottles in 
wTich citric acid has been put in the quantity of one grain to the ounce, will 
keep without becoming discoloured ; and that, if discoloured, the quickest and 
best method to decolorize it is to cover the bottle halfway round with white 
paper which traverses the whole length of the bottle, and add citric acid in the 
above quantity, aud expose to a bright light the side uncovered. 
Part of the syrup with which these experiments have been tried has been, 
and is being, used by patients ; and the effect is exactly the same as that of 
newly-made syrup which has had no acid in it. 
As regards the preparation of the syrup, I agree with Mr. Carteighe that the 
process recommended and ordered by the Pharmacopoeia is everything that is 
required. 
