THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[October 29, 1870. 
3dG 
or somewhat conical, free at the base, and nearly to the 
top of the pileus; ribs somewhat longitudinal; connected 
by distant transverse folds, forming elongated, nearly 
linear pits ; stem even, short; asci cylindrical; sporidia 
cylindrical, rounded at the ends, three diameters and 
upwards in length.—Trans. Bot. Soc. Edin. 1870. 
* ( Kana kach,” “ Kan gach,” “ Kana kuchoo” of Lahore. 
M. semilibera of Stewart’s ‘Punjab Plants.’ (Fig- 2. 
Spore magnified 500 diameters.) 
The total length of the dried specimens does not ex¬ 
ceed an inch and a half. The exposed portion of the 
stem not more than half an inch in length, and the dia¬ 
meter of the pileus at the base, its broadest part, not 
more than three-quarters of an inch. Sporidia ‘002 in. 
long by *0006 in. broad. 
This species is distinguished from all its congeners by 
the very large size of its sporidia. It is, perhaps, most 
closely related to M. patula , certainly not to M. semilibera. 
It is evidently the least common of the two Kashmerian 
species. What is the uncertain third or fourth species F 
We must wait and hope. 
THE CITRATES OF THE U.S. PHARMACOPOEIA. * 
BY C. LEWIS DIEHL. 
The author of this paper is of opinion that almost 
every pharmacist who personally superintends the pro¬ 
duction of his preparations could, by noting the difficul¬ 
ties and phenomena which occur during the various pro¬ 
cesses, materially aid the progress of pharmacy. Many, 
from various causes, are prevented from doing this, and 
thus a great deal of valuable information is lost to the 
pharmaceutic world. Among the observant workers, a 
large class will be found who, from motives of gain, are 
prevented from publishing their observations; others are 
prevented by reason of excessive modesty, which causes 
them to view their experiences as a necessary result of 
their inexperience ; and still others, who are not encum¬ 
bered Jby this excess of modesty, are prevented by press 
of business or events beyond their control. 
The design of the author is to draw attention to a num¬ 
ber of preparations, most of which have come under his 
observation within the last twelve months. Some of them 
—officinals of the United States Pharmacopoeia—he has 
found to admit of improvement, either in their general 
character or their methods of preparation; while for the 
unofficinals he has, in some cases, constructed formulae 
deemed by him in accordance with the spirit of the 
national standard. 
Citrate of Iron. —The Pharmacopoeia directions for 
.making this preparation are to take a convenient quan¬ 
tity of the solution of citrate of iron, evaporate it to the 
consistence of syrup, and spread it on glass, so that, on 
drying, the salt may be obtained in scales. The formula 
for the preparation of the solution is as follows:— 
Citric acid, in coarse powder, 5 troy oz. 360 grs. 
Solution of tersulphate of iron, 1 pint. 
Water of ammonia, 
Distilled water, each, a sufficient quantity. 
Dilute the solution of tersulphate of iron with 2 pints 
of distilled water, add to it a slight excess of ammonia, 
while constantly stirring, then transfer the precipitate 
formed to a muslin strainer, and wash it with water till the 
washings are nearly tasteless. When the precipitate is 
drained, put half of it in a porcelain capsule on a water- 
bath, heated to 150°, add the citric acid, and stir the mix¬ 
ture until the precipitate is nearly dissolved. Then add 
so much of the reserved precipitate as may be necessary 
fully to saturate the acid. Lastly, filter the liquid and 
evaporate it, at a temperature not exceeding 150°, until 
it is reduced to the measure of a pint. 
To obtain a good prepara tion, it is advisable to employ 
* Abstract from a paper entitled “ Pharmaceutic Items ” 
in the Chicago Pharmacist for September. 
an excess of hydrated sesquioxide of iron. If the pro¬ 
cess is conducted in conformity with the directions of the 
Pharmacopoeia, and the ingredients are in the condition 
intended, a satisfactory article may be prepared; but 
strict adherence to the formula is necessary to ensure 
uniformly a successful product. One principal difficulty 
exists practically in maintaining the temperature of the 
mixture of citric acid and hydrated sesquioxide of iron 
without exceeding 150° F. Constant attention to ensure 
this end is required, for by an elevation of the tempera¬ 
ture above 150° F., a portion of the hydrated sesquioxide 
is molecularly changed and becomes insoluble, rendering 
it difficult to determine whether or not the solution has 
become completely saturated with iron. This difficulty 
has been overcome by precipitating about one-eighth 
more of hydrated sesquioxide of iron than is required by 
the Pharmacopoeia, and adding to about three-fourths of 
the magma the citric acid prescribed. By occasional 
stirring, a clear solution is obtained, which should be 
gently heated by a water-batli: fractional parts of the 
remaining magma should then be added, until it is no 
longer dissolved, each portion being allowed to dissolve 
perfectly before adding the next. 
During the evaporation of a quantity, however, it has 
been observed that, although the ingredients had been 
in proper condition and the manipulation correct, the 
solution became uncommonly dense before it had been 
reduced to the proper measure; and that on diluting it 
with water, a turbid mixture was produced. It was in¬ 
ferred that a portion of the uncombined hydrated ses¬ 
quioxide of iron had been dissolved. This was appa¬ 
rently substantiated by the addition of a relatively small 
portion of citric acid, which rendered the solution quite 
limpid and miscible with water without the production 
of turbidity. The conclusion drawn is that when a warm 
solution of citrate of iron exercises a prolonged action 
upon recently precipitated hydrated sesquioxide of iron, 
it has the property of dissolving a portion of the hy¬ 
drated base. 
The preparation of scales of citrate of iron is not at all 
difficult, even if all the citric acid has not been satu¬ 
rated. 
Ammonio-citrate of Iron. —In the preparation of this 
salt, according to the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, 1 pint of the 
solution of citrate of iron is mixed with 6 fluid ounces of 
water of ammonia; the mixture is then evaporated in 
the same manner as the citrate of iron, care being taken 
that the temperature should not exceed 150°. The re¬ 
sult should be in garnet-red translucent scales, of a 
slightly ferruginous taste, readily and wholly soluble in 
water. The solution causes no change in the colour of 
litmus or turmeric, and does not yield a precipitate with 
ferrocyanide of potassium. Solution of potassa produces 
with it a precipitate of sesquioxide of iron with the evo¬ 
lution of ammonia. To prepare it successfully, the com¬ 
plete saturation of the citric acid with hydrated sesqui¬ 
oxide is quite necessary. If this be not the case, the re¬ 
sulting salt is removed from the glass with difficulty, 
neither can it be obtained in handsome scales, being 
generally of a muddy colour. By reserving about one- 
sixteenth of the solution of citrate of iron, adding to the 
main bulk of the solution aqua ammoniae until in slight 
excess, and then the reserved portion, a salt has been 
obtained which was found to be rapidly soluble in water, 
readily removed from the glass plates, and less prone to 
deliquescence than the compound completely saturated 
with ammonia. The direction of the Pharmacopoeia to 
use a given measure of aqua ammonia; is objectionable, 
on account of the variable strength of that article as 
found in the shops, or obtained from the manufacturer ; 
for while it is a simple matter for the skilled operator to 
determine its strength expeditiously, it requires more 
time than pharmacists not skilled or prepared for these 
determinations are willing to devote to it. 
{To be continued.) 
