THE 
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
JANUARY, 1847. 
ART. LTI. — ON THE CHLORIDE OF ZINC. 
By Edward Parrish. 
Attention having recently been directed to the chloride 
of zinc, as a disinfecting agent especially suited to the pur- 
poses of the practical anatomist, I was called upon to sup- 
ply a solution suitable for preserving subjects in the dissect- 
ing room. This chloride, prepared according to the United 
States Pharmacopoeia, though a beautiful article, is neces- 
sarily an expensive one, and is liable to other objections in 
view of the use proposed. In attempting its solution, a 
white precipitate is generally separated, which is insoluble 
except by the addition of an acid; this consists of an oxy- 
chloride occasioned by the high heat used in fusing it. 
The chloride is also liable to the objection of being ex- 
ceedingly deliquescent, and therefore difficult to preserve 
in the solid form, unless completely protected from the 
air, and from the same cause and its corrosive proper- 
ties is very troublesome to those who have occasion to 
manipulate with it. 
To obviate these difficulties, a solution was formed direct- 
ly from the zinc and hydro-chloric acid, which, while it pos- 
sesses sufficient purity for the purpose, has the advantage 
ot cheapness and convenience of preparation. 
VOL. XII. — no. iv. 23 
