PREPARATION  OF  LIQUOR  FERRI  IODIDI. 
acetic  acid  in  that  syrup  is  incompatible  with  the  iodide  of 
iron,  but,  being  present  in  only  small  quantities,  decomposes 
only  an  inconsiderable  portion  of  the  salt,  which  indeed  the  un- 
combined  iron  is  more  than  sufficient  to  restore. 
AN  EASY  AND  EXPEDITIOUS  METHOD  OF  PREPARING  LIQUOR 
FERRI  IODIDI. 
By  B.  J.  Crew. 
B.    Iodine,  3ij. 
Iron  by  hydrogen,        3ss.  or  q.  s. 
Water,  q.  s. 
Sugar,  3xij. 
To  the  Iodine  previously  reduced  to  a  powder  in  a  mortar  add 
about  f.^ij.  of  water,  then  by  degrees  the  iron  (which  should  be 
supplied  with  caution,  or  else  violent  ebullition  will  ensue,  and  the 
contents  of  the  mortar  lost.)  The  chemical  combination  between 
the  two  ingredients  is  soon  effected,  the  red  color  which  the  mix- 
ture fast  assumes  speedily  gives  place  to  a  light  brown  ;  the  so- 
lution is  then  poured  on  a  filter,  the  residual  impurities  washed, 
and  the  liquid  allowed  to  pass  from  the  filter  into  a  bottle  con- 
taining the  sugar  in  a  coarse  powder,  and  marked  with  a  strip  of 
paper  pasted  on  the  outside  to  contain  f.^xx.  until  the  measure 
thus  indicated  is  obtained.  The  bottle  is  then  briskly  agitated 
and  the  sugar  dissolved. 
This  process  (which  differs  from  the  officinal  one  only  in  the 
'condition  in  which  the  iron  is  presented  to  the  iodine,  being  in  this 
case  in  a  state  of  exceedingly  minute  division,  tending  greatly  to 
rapid  chemical  action,)  has  a  decided  advantage  in  point  of  conve- 
nience and  expedition  over  the  ordinary  mode.  The  union  of  the 
two  ingredients  is  speedily  effected  in  an  ordinary  mortar,  and 
without  the  aid  of  heat,  and  in  a  much  shorter  time  than  can  pos- 
sibly be  obtained  by  the  usual  process.  The  high  price  of  iron  by 
hydrogen  of  course  will  not  admit  of  this  process,  when  large 
quantities  are  operated  on,  but  the  retail  Pharmaceutist  will  find 
it  an  exceedingly  easy  and  convenient  method,  and  the  difference 
in  price  in  the  preparation  being  only  a  few  cents  in  the  pound 
will  be  much  more  than  compensated  for  by  the  time  and  trouble 
saved. 
A  few  words  in  relation  to  the  keeping  of  syrup  of  iodide  of 
