458 
TINCTURA  FERRI  CHLORIDI. 
Notwithstanding  the  flood  of  ferrated,  ferro-phosphorated, 
and  other  fanciful  elixirs  and  combinations  of  iron,  which  for  the 
past  few  years  has  deluged  the  pharmaceutical  market,  the  sim- 
ple Tinctura  Ferri  Chloridi  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  for  certainty 
and  efficiency  of  action,  has  not  yet  been  excelled,  and  despite 
its  nauseous  taste,  is  still  much  employed.  Its  easy  and  correct 
preparation,  therefore,  is  still  a  matter  of  some  importance. 
Perhaps  no  preparation  of  the  Pharmacopoeia  has  given  rise  to 
more  comment  than  this — indeed,  the  subject  may  be  considered 
well-nigh,  if  not  quite,  exhausted.  It  is  not,  therefore,  with  the 
expectation  of  making  any  new  revelations  that  the  writer 
offers  these  remarks  ;  his  object  is  simply  to  give  his  own  indi- 
vidual experience  in  the  preparation  of  this  tincture,  hoping  that 
to  some  one  of  the  three  thousand  readers  of  The  Pharmacist 
the  revelation  may  not  be  altogether  without  interest.  The 
writer  does  not  wish  to  disparage  the  present  officinal  formula 
for  this  preparation.  Properly  executed,  with  due  regard  to  the 
purity  and  strength  of  the  muriatic  acid  employed,  and  its  com- 
plete saturation,  also'  the  careful  avoidance  of  loss  during  the 
frequent  pourings,  a  correct  result  is  obtained.  Very  strict  at- 
tention, however,  to  these  various  details  must  be  given,  other- 
wise the  resulting  tincture  will  be  imperfect.  Particularly  is  it 
important  to  attend  to  the  temperature  employed  to  dissolve  the 
iron.  On  this  point  the  officinal  formula  is  certainly  at  fault ; 
it  simply  directs  to  heat  it  (the  mixture  of  iron  and  acid)  to 
the  boiling  point,  then  decant,  etc.  The  complete  saturation  of 
the  acid  cannot  be  effected  in  this  way  ;  it  is  necessary  that  the 
temperature  be  maintained  for  some  considerable  time,  longer 
or  shorter,  according  to  the  quantity*  of  material  operated  on. 
A  careful  manipulator  would  not,  of  course,  be  led  astray  by 
oversight  in  the  formula ;  but  the  Pharmacopoeia,  being  intended 
not  alone  for  the  scientific  and  expert,  but  for  general  guidance, 
should  be  so  clear  and  explicit  in  its  directions  that  the  sin  of  an 
imperfect  preparation  may  not  justly  be  laid  at  its  door.  The 
writer,  therefore,  would  erase  the  words  "  heat  it  to  the  boiling 
point,"  and  substitute  "apply  heat,  and  having  continued  it 
till  all  reaction  has  ceased,  decant,"  etc.  The  old  formula  for 
this  tincture  consisted  in  dissolving  six  troyounces  of  sub-carbo- 
