ON  SACCHARATED  OXIDE  OF  IRON. 
325 
alcohol,  pressed  between  bibulous  paper,  and  the  still  moist  mass 
intimately  mixed  with  its  own  weight  of  powdered  sugar,  and 
dried  by  a  moderate  heat,  when  some  ammonia  is  evolved,  prob- 
ably from  the  decomposition  by  drying  of  a  precipitated  com- 
pound of  ammonia  with  sugar.  The  dry,  inodorous  mass  may 
be  triturated  ^ith  water  to  a  syrup,  again  precipitated  by  alco- 
hol, the  precipitate  treated  as  before,  well  washed  upon  a  filter 
with  alcohol,  pressed  between  bibulous  paper,  dried  at  ordinary 
temperature,  and  rubbed  to  powder. 
Thus  prepared  it  forms  a  dark  brown  inodorous  and  tasteless 
powder,  readily  soluble  in  water  and  diluted  alcohol ;  the  solu- 
tions are  precipitated  by  alcohol,  the  latter  also  by  ether.  On 
prolonged  standing,  and  at  once  by  boiling,  the  whole  quantity 
of  iron  is  precipitated  as  an  insoluble  compound  with  sugar ; 
the  alcoholic  solution  is  more  stable.  The  aqueous  solution  is 
not  altered  by  ferrocyanide  or  sulphocyanide  of  potassium;  tan- 
nin after  some  time  produces  a  precipitate ;  sulphhydric  acid  and 
sulphide  of  ammonium  precipitate  the  iron,  from  very  dilute 
solutions  slowly.  Alkalies  and  neutral  salts  do  not  decompose 
the  compound,  which,  however,  is  separated  from  its  aqueous 
solution  by  their  halogen  compounds.  Even  weak  acids  produce 
decomposition,  and  ferrocyanide  of  potassium  separates  then, 
gradually,  Prussian  blue.  On  heating,  the  compound  loses 
water,  and  with  it  its  solubility.  Analysis  leads  to  the  formula, 
O9  +  2Fe2  O3  6H0,  which  requires  43-59  Fe^  O3. 
For  pharmaceutical  purposes  the  product  obtained  from  the 
first  precipitation  with  alcohol,  mixing  with  sugar  and  drying  is 
used.  It  has  the  same  chemical  properties  as  the  pure  com 
pound,  but  differs  from  it  by  a  lighter  color  and  a  sweet  taste. 
It  contains  10  per  cent,  metallic  iron,  =  14'28  Fe2  O3.  The 
author  calls  it  Ferrum  oxydatum  saccharatum. 
By  dissolving  this  preparation  in  little  water,  and  mixing  it 
with  simple  syrup,  a  syrupus  ferri  oxydati  may  be  made,  of  any 
desired  strength.  It  has  a  fine  red  brown  color,  is  perfectly 
clear,  and  has  a  purely  sweet  taste.  It  may  be  aromatized  by 
orange  flower  water,  &c.  The  dry  preparation  may  well  be  used 
in  mixtures. 
The  alcohol  is  recovered  by  distillation ;  to  remove  the  ammo- 
