THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
DECEMBER,  1898. 
THE  INVERSION  OF  CANE  SUGAR  IN  OFFICIAL  SYRUPS. 
By  F.  W.  Haussmann. 
The  subject,  which  the  writer  would  bring  before  the  meeting, 
may  be  regarded  as  a  preliminary  paper  to  some  work  on  syrups  at 
present  under  way.  At  one  of  the  meetings  of  the  Pharmacopceial 
Research  Committee  of  the  P.C.P.  last  winter,  a  few  observations 
pertaining  thereto  were  related  to  the  late  Prof.  Henry  Trimble,  and 
on  his  suggestion  closer  inquiry  was  made  into  a  subject,  regarded 
then  as  of  little  importance. 
Syrup  of  hydriodic  acid  was  the  first  preparation  in  which  large 
quantities  of  a  sugar  reducing  Fehling's  solution  were  noticed. 
Further  investigation  revealed,  however,  that  the  changes  to  be 
described  were  not  confined  to  this  syrup,  but  that  others,  contain- 
ing strong  mineral  acids,  showed  the  same  conditions  on  prolonged 
standing. 
The  researches  were  consequently  extended  and  other  syrups, 
which  developed  marked  color  changes  or  heavy  deposits  without 
any  apparent  cause,  were  also  examined.  Such  were  syrup  of  cal- 
cium lactophosphate  and  syrup  of  the  phosphates  of  iron,  quinine 
and  strychnine. 
The  syrups  mentioned  change  in  color,  gradually  turning  any- 
where from  a  straw  color  to  brown,  which  in  the  case  of  syrup  of 
hydriodic  acid  is  usually  attributed  to  the  liberation  of  free  iodine. 
Such  is,  however,  not  the  case. 
In  an  examination  of  a  number  of  specimens  of  this  syrup,  which 
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