THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
JANUARY,  1865. 
BISMUTHI  ET  AMMONIA  CITRAS. 
By  N.  Gray  Bartlett, 
A  preparation,  under  the  somewhat  empirical  name  of  "  Li- 
quor Bismuthi  (Schacht),"  was  introduced  to  the  profession, 
some  years  since,  in  England,  and  more  recently  it  has  been 
the  subject  of  several  notices  in  foreign  medical  publications. 
This  liquid  contains  a  bismuthic  salt  in  permanent  solution, 
and  is  miscible  with  water  without  precipitation  ;  its  reaction  is 
alkaline,  and  it  possesses  but  little  taste.  These  desirable  pro- 
perties, in  a  remedy  usually  administered  in  a  comparatively 
insoluble  condition,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  this  solution 
had  not  received  undue  attention. 
It  is  asserted  by  the  originator,  Mr.  Schacht,  apparently 
after  abundant  observation,  that  a  fluidrachm  of  his  preparation, 
containing  one  grain  of  teroxide  of  bismuth,  is  equivalent,  in 
medicinal  value,  to  a  full  dose  of  the  subnitrate  of  bismuth. 
The  liquor  bismuthi  was  subjected  to  analysis  by  Mr.  Tich- 
bourne,  who  found  its  constituents  to  be  bismuth,  citric  acid, 
and  ammonia.  (Lond.  Pharm.  Journ.,  Jan.  1st,  1864.) 
Following  the  directions  of  that  gentleman,  for  its  prepara- 
tion, recently  precipitated  teroxide  of  bismuth  was  boiled  in  a 
solution  of  citrate  of  ammonia  ;  repeated  trials  proved  the  oxide 
to  be  but  sparingly  dissolved  by  this  treatment,  and  demon- 
strated the  impracticability  of  this  process.  The  alternative  me- 
