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Syrup  of  Hypoplwsphites  with  Iron.  { 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1891. 
Take  of 
Cranberry  juice,  
Iron  in  the  form  of  fine  wire  and  perfectly  clean  (card 
teeth),    
Alcohol,  
14  fluid  ounces 
2  fluid  ounces 
1  ounce 
The  iron  is  added  to  the  cranberry  juice  contained  in  a  suitable 
vessel  and  set  aside  in  a  warm  place,  being  occasionally  agitated 
for  several  days.  It  is  then  boiled  for  a  half  to  one  hour,  adding 
water  from  time  to  time  to  replace  the  amount  evaporated.  Filter 
and  wash  the  filter  with  sufficient  water  to  yield  14  fluid  ounces  of 
filtrate,  add  the  alcohol  and  again  filter  if  necessary.  This  yields  a 
reddish  liquid  of  a  slightly  acid,  and  not  unpleasant,  ferruginous 
taste. 
SYRUP  OF  THE  HYPOPHOSPHITES  WITH  IRON. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  May  19. 
At  the  last  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  in  connection  with  the  paper 
on  Syrup  roborans,  the  suggestion  was  made  to  replace  the  lactate 
of  iron  in  the  officinal  syrup  of  the  hypophosphites  with  iron  by  the 
hypophosphite.  The  pharmacopoeial  method  is  open  to  several 
objections,  the  chief  ones  being  the  incomplete  solubility  of  the  iron 
salt  and  consequent  cloudy  appearance  of  the  syrup.  More 
complete  solution  may  be  effected  by  triturating  the  lactate  with 
the  previously  heated  syrup,  although  this  method  is  not  without 
objection. 
In  the  substitution  of  the  hypophosphite  for  the  lactate  the 
slight  solubility  of  that  salt  is  the  main  disadvantage.  A  number 
of  trials' made,  to  effect  simple  solution  in  the  officinal  syrup  of  the 
hypophosphites  were  without  result.  Partial  solution  does  take 
place,  but  insufficient  to  communicate  an  amount  of  iron,  which 
may  be  deemed  to  have  any  decided  virtue.  The  results  are 
essentially  the  same,  if  either  the  officinal  syrup  or  one  containing 
free  hypophosphorous  acid  in  place  of  citric  acid  is  employed.  The 
pharmacopoeial  statement,  that  hypophosphite  of  iron  is  rendered 
more  soluble  in  the  presence  of  free  hypophosphorous  acid  is  only 
true  to  a  limited  extent  and  can  hardly  be  taken  advantage  of  in  the 
preparation  of  the  syrup.  The  same  may  be  said  if  citric  acid  is 
substituted. 
By  F.  W.  Haussmann,  Ph.G. 
