^'aSKS?™'}  Ferrous  Syrup  of  the  Hypophosphites.  399 
saturated  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  If  butyric  ether  has  been  pres- 
ent, the  disagreeable  odor  of  butyric  acid  will  be  recognized. 
Acetic  ether  should  burn  with  a  lambent  blue  flame,  and  leave  no 
residue  on  evaporation.  Distilled  water  agitated  with  the  ether  and 
filtered,  should  give  no  reaction  with  test  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver 
or  chloride  of  barium.  Distinct  quantities  of  sulphuric  acid  could 
be  detected  in  one  of  the  samples  under  examination. 
Aldehyd  and  empyreumatic  impurities  in  acetic  ether  may  be 
detected  by  adding  2  or  3  drops  of  a  I  per  cent,  solution  of  perman- 
ganate of  potassium  to  about  3  cc.  of  the  ether,  when,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  aldehyd,  the  pink  color  will  be  destroyed  immediately. 
FERROUS  SYRUP  OF  THE  HYPOPHOSPHITES. 
By  F.  W.  Haussmann,  Ph.G. 
In  the  June  number  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  while 
treating  of  syrup  of  the  hypophosphites  with  iron,  a  short  note  was 
appended,  relating  to  a  ferrous  syrup,  which  was  stated  to  decom- 
pose rapidly,  and  future  investigations  were  invited  to  stay  the 
decomposition.  The  chemical  nature  of  the  products  formed  was 
not  inquired  into,  partly  due  to  lack  of  time,  but  a  precipitate 
formed  was  believed  to  be  ferric  hypophosphite.  Later  examina- 
tion proved  this  view,  based  upon  a  published  statement,  to  be 
erroneous. 
The  ferrous  hypophosphite  was  employed  in  solution,  prepared  by 
double  decomposition  between  ferrous  sulphate  and  calcium  hypo- 
phosphite in  molecular  proportion.  The  resulting  liquid,  filtered 
from  the  precipitated  calcium  sulphate  and  subjected  to  various 
methods  of  exposure,  always  gradually  precipitated.  On  closer 
examination  the  precipitate  was  found  to  be  calcium  sulphate,  which 
is  retained  in  the  ferrous  solution  with  great  tenacity. 
The  precipitate,  as  well  as  the  liquid  portion,  always  gave  nega- 
tive results  to  ferric  reagents,  unless  directly  exposed  to  air  for  some 
time.  The  same  was  found  to  be  the  case  with'  syrups,  prepared  by 
the  formula  given  in  the  previous  paper,  which  had  been  standing  8 
weeks. 
Various  methods  of  separating  the  calcium  sulphate,  such  as  fil- 
tration through  freshly  precipitated  barium  sulphate  or  purified 
talcum,  gave  but  partial  results,  enough  CaS04  being  retained, 
