CITRATE  OE  IRON   AND  QUINIA. 
269 
Peroxide  of  iron,  anhydrous, 
Citric  acid,  anhydrous,  • 
Ammonia,  • 
Quinia, 
Water, 
20.48 
•  53.81 
5.17 
.  12.17 
8.37 
100.00 
It  may  be  proper  to  remark  here,  that  water  of  ammonia  of  the 
sp.  gr.  0.025  is  about  the  strength  of  the  Aqua  Ammonia  F.  F.  F. 
of  the  manufacturers,  and  contains  19.54  per  cent,  of  am- 
monia. If  weaker  water  of  ammonia  is  used,  of  course  it  will 
require  an  increased  quantity  to  furnish  the  same  amount  of 
ammonia  as  that  of  the  sp.  gr.  0.925,  which  may  be  determined 
by  an  easy  calculation. 
I  have  heard  objection  made  to  the  introduction  of  ammonia 
into  this  preparation,  but  upon  what  reasonable  ground  I  am  at 
a  loss  to  conceive  :  a  small  quantity  of  citrate  of  ammonia  can 
certainly  do  no  harm,  and  if  it  serves  to  render  the  compound 
soluble,  this  would  certainly  seem  to  be  a  desideratum. 
The  substitution  of  potassa  for  ammonia  will  also  produce  a 
soluble  preparation,  and  soda  would  no  doubt  have  the  same  ef- 
fect ;  but  the  latter  I  have  not  tried  :  the  potassio-eitrate  of 
iron  and  quinia  is  in  very  brilliant  scales  of  light  brown  color 
and  very  soluble. 
The  proportion  of  citrate  of  quinia  in  this  preparation  is 
equal  to  about  one-sixth  part  or  one  grain  in  six  grains  of  the 
salt.  The  reasons  for  adopting  this  proportion,  are,  first, — it 
has  been  the  custom  in  this  country  so  to  prepare  it ;  secondly, 
Physicians  are  accustomed  so  to  prescribe  it  ;  and  thirdly,  it  is 
probable  that  a  formula  will  be  adopted  in  the  forthcoming  Phar- 
macopoeia containing  the  same  proportion. 
Ammonio-citrate  of  iron  and  quinia  is  very  soluble,  of  a  beau- 
tiful olive  green  color,  decidedly  bitter,  possesses  but  little  or 
no  chalybeate  taste  and  has  an  acid  reaction. — Journ.  and  Trans, 
of  the  Maryland  College  of  Pharmacy, 
