570 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[January 18, 1&73. 
LACTO-PHOSPHATES.* 
BY It. ItOTHEK. 
The following is the process for permanent syrup of 
calcium lacto-phosphate :—■ 
Lactic acid abundantly dissolves many of the insoluble 
orthophosphates when freshly precipitated ; among- the 
most prominent of the resulting combinations are the 
so-called lacto-phosphates of calcium and iron. 
When lactic acid is treated with an excess of either of 
these phosphates in the cold, a solution is obtained which 
still retains the acidulous taste of diluted lactic acid. If 
this solulion is boiled, a copious granular precipitate 
occurs. However, if it be not heated and simply con¬ 
verted into a syrup by the addition of sugar, the saccha¬ 
rine solution, after the lapse of a few days, will deposit a 
voluminous white precipitate, or even completely gelati¬ 
nize. The precipitates produced by heat or time are 
again readily and completely soluble in hydrochloric acid, 
producing then a permanent solution. The precipita¬ 
tion is also perfectly prevented if the saturated phosphate 
mixture is treated with an additional portion of lactic or 
hydrochloric acid before precipitation has be gun. The 
supernatant liquid from which the phosphate precipitate 
has spontaneously separated apparently loses much of its 
acidity. 
It is highly probable that the act of solution in the 
first instance is merely mechanical, and that the applica¬ 
tion of heat or a certain amount of time is required to 
determine a combination. 
Nevertheless, the freshly precipitated phosphate is 
always taken up in a certain fixed proportion, and when 
the solution is thoroughly saturated with the phosphate, 
the resulting mixture invariably corresponds to one 
molecule of tricalcic-orthophosphate and four molecules of 
lactic acid, equal to one molecule of acid calcium phos¬ 
phate and two molecules of normal calcium lactate, 
thus:— 
(P0 4 ) 2 Ca 3 ,/ -j-4 (C 3 H 6 O.0 - 
(P0 4 ) 2 Ca" H 4 +2 (C 3 H 5 0 3 ) 2 Ca". 
On standing, actual combination, however, does take 
place, yet differing from the result indicated in the above 
equation. The phosphoric acid is then almost totally 
precipitated as the normal dicalcic orthophosphate 
((P0 4 )Ca f/ H) and the generation of acid calcium lactate, 
in solution, thus :— 
(P0 4 ) 2 Ca 3 "-f 4 (C 3 H 6 0 3 ) = 2 (P0 4 )Ca" H + (C 3 H-0 3 ) 2 Ca" 
2 C 3 H 6 O s . 
But, as above stated, an additional quantity of lactic 
acid ensures a stable product. This is effected by adding 
half as much more lactic acid as at first consumed, which 
then indicates a mixture of two molecules of free ortho- 
phosphoric acid, and three molecules of normal calcium 
lactate, thus:— 
(P0 4 ) 2 Ca 3 " + 6 (C 3 H 6 0 3 ) = 2 (P0 3 H) + 3 (C 3 H 5 0 3 ) 2 Ca" 
+ 2 0H 2 . 
The general process for permanent solutions of the so- 
called lacto-phosphates is then as follows:—Take any 
convenient quantity of concentrated lactic acid, and 
saturate two-thirds of it with any desirable orthophos¬ 
phate, freshly precipitated, then add the remaining one- 
third of the acid, and if the preparation is to be a syrup, 
dissolve the sugar in the solution without heat, and 
strain. 
In the preparation of syrup of calcium lactophosphate, 
the writer finds the officinal U.S. process the best method 
of obtaining the calcium phosphate, but the direction to 
wash the precipitate with boiling water must be faith¬ 
fully ignored, as this produces the crystalline phosphate, 
which is insoluble in lactic acid. To obtain the gelatinous 
phosphate heat is not admissible. 
Take of either the precipitated calcium phosphate or 
calcined bones, about .... 6 drachms. 
Lactic acid (concentrated) ... 1| Troy ounces. 
Sugar.lO^-Troy ounces. 
, Orange flower water.2 fluid-ounces. 
Hydrochloric acid, sp. gr. IT6, one Troy oimce, or 
sufficient. 
Ammonia water. 
Water of each sufficient. 
Mix the hydrochloric acid with one fluid-ounce of water,, 
and add it to the powdered calcium phosphate previously 7 
mixed with four fluid-ounces of water; when the phos¬ 
phate has dissolved, dilute the solution to twelve fluid- 
ounces, and precipitate it with an excess of ammonia, 
pour the magma upon a filter and wash it with cold- 
water, add this washed magma to the lactic acid, and 
when dissolved dilute the solution after the addition of 
the orange flower water to 10^ fluid-ounces, add tha 
sugar to 9 fluid-ounces of this liquid, stir frequently, and. 
after most of it has dissolved, pour the syrup through a 
muslin strainer, mix the undissolved sugar with the re¬ 
maining liquid, and after solution add it to the rest of 
the syrup, through the strainer, and mix. 
ADMINISTRATION 0E ACETATE OF BARYTA IN 
THE PLACE OF SULPHOVINATE OF SODA. 
A medical man at Verdun having last July" prescribed 
a purgative consisting of 30 grams of sulphovinate of 
soda in q.s. of water, to be taken in three doses at half- 
hour intervals, a mixture was made up by a pharmacien, of 
wTdch a third part was taken by the patient. Imme¬ 
diately afterwards the patient was seized with severe 
vomiting and other symptoms of poisoning. The medi¬ 
cal man and the pharmacien were both summoned, and 
in order to reassure the patient as to the innocuousness 
of sulphovinate of soda, each drank a portion of the re¬ 
maining mixture. The pharmacien, who had just eatera 
his dinner, was at once seized with vomiting, whicht 
caused the expulsion of the greater part of the liquid, 
but the medical man, although he had taken but 8 or 1(> 
grams of the liquid, suffered from its effects for some 
months. The patient died twelve hours after taking the 
dose. At first it was thought the poisoning was due to- 
a defective sample of the sulphovinate of soda, in the 
preparation of which it is known that great care is re¬ 
quired to obtainit in a state of purity, and M. Duques- 
nel published a note on the subject.* But M. Limousin, 
reports that the mixture and the bottle containing the 
substance from which the mixture was prepared, hav¬ 
ing been sent for examination to the professors of the 
Paris School of Pharmacy 7 , they discovered that the 
salt that had been employred was acetate of bary-ta, and 
not sulphovinate of soda. Upon further inquiry it was 
found that the wholesale druggist in labelling the bottles 
had labelled a bottle of sulphovinate of soda as acetate 
of baryta, and one of acetate of baryta as sulphovinate 
of soda. 
M. Limousin considers this case instructive as showing: 
that acetate of baryta, and possibly 7 other salts of the 
same base, are more poisonous than is generally sup¬ 
posed. Referring to a method of preparing sulphovinate 
of soda, described at the last meeting cf the Paris 
Societe de Pharmacie, and printed at p. 536 of this 
Journal, in which the use of a baryta compound is 
avoided, M. Limousin states that in conjunction with. 
M. Adrian he has tested it and that it appears to yield 
satisfactory 7 results. 
* Reprinted from the Chicago ‘Pharmacist.’ 
