Amseptf,'i889arm'}    Hypophosphorous  Acid  and  Hypophosphites.  459 
HYPOPHOSPHOEOUS   ACID   AND    THE  OFFICINAL 
HYPOPHOSPHITES.1 
By  Frank  X.  Moebk,  Ph.  G. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy. — No,  55. 
III.  HYPOPHOSPHOEOUS  ACID. 
This  acid  which  during  the  last  few  years  has  come  into  extensive 
use,  while  not  officinal,  has  been  introduced  into  the  National  Formu- 
lary where  a  new  process  of  preparation  is  also  given. 
A  number  of  processes  of  preparation  have  been  published  of 
which,  however,  only  the  first  two  mentioned  appear  to  be  used  in  its 
commercial  production :  The  decomposition  of  calcium  hypophos- 
phite  by  either  oxalic  or  sulphuric  acid ;  the  decomposition  of  barium 
hypophosphite  by  sulphuric  acid ;  the  decomposition  of  lead  hypo- 
phosphite  by  hydrogen  sulphide;  and,  finally,  the  process  of  the 
National  Formulary  in  which  potassium  hypophosphite  is  decomposed 
by  tartaric  acid  in  presence  of  alcohol,  which  renders  insoluble  the 
acid  tartrate  of  potassium  formed  in  the  reaction. 
Two  papers  of  interest  in  connection  with  this  subject  have  been 
published :  one  by  Mr.  G.  M.  Beringer,2  in  which  he  compared 
specific  gravities  and  results  of  neutralization  of  several  commercial 
samples  of  hypophosphorous  acid,  sold  as  50  per  cent,  acid,  with  an 
acid  of  this  strength  made  by  himself  and  which  comparison  proved 
the  commercial  acid  to  contain  only  from  33  to  40*5  per  cent,  acid ; 
the  other  by  Mr.  Geo.  Lunan,3  in  which  a  more  extended  investiga- 
tion was  made  so  as  to  include  specific  gravity,  neutralization,  reduc- 
tion (by  HgCl2)  and  qualitative  tests  for  calcium  oxalate,  free  oxalic 
acid,  calcium  hypophosphite  and  phosphites ;  the  reagents  for  the  last 
test  being  acetic  acid  and  lead  acetate.  No  test  for  sulphate  appears 
to  have  been  made ;  hence,  it  is  an  open  question  if  the  one  sample 
giving  the  above  reaction  really  contained  phosphite  or  if  this  was 
due  to  sulphate;  the  reduction  and  neutralization  determinations 
agreeing  these  can  not  decide  this  point. 
Four  samples  of  commercial  acid  were  procured,  all  sold  as  50 
1  Continued  from  page  394. 
2  Amer.  Journ.  Phar.,  1882,  100. 
3  Amer.  Journ.  Phar.,  1887,  p.  243;  reprint  from  Pharm.  Journ.  and  Trar,8.t 
1887,  p.  773. 
