Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
June,  1875.  / 
On  the  Syrup  of  Ferrous  Iodide. 
is  easily  explained.  By  evaporating  the  salt-brine  for  crystallization^ 
the  salt  which  crystallizes  out  first  will  be  free  of,  while  that  obtained 
last  must  contain,  barium  chloride,  if  originally  contained  in  the  solution. 
Another  brand  of  salt  from  the  same  salt  region  in  West  Virginia^ 
branded  "West  Virginia  Salt,"  did  not  contain  a  trace  of  barytes. 
I  must  here  also  remark,  that  those  salt  solutions  in  which  no  barytes 
could  be  detected,  did  not  give  any  reaction  with  barium  chloride,  and 
therefore  did  not  contain  sulphuric  acid. 
The  presence  of  chloride  of  barium  as  a  natural  constituent  of  Ka- 
nawha salt  is  very  interesting  in  a  geological  aspect,  since  there  are  but 
few  waters  known  in  which  barytes  are  found  in  solution. 
Its  presence  in  the  salt  examined  by  me  may,  however,  be  owing  to 
other  than  natural  causes.  In  conversation  with  an  extensive  dealer  in 
salt  he  observed  that  Kanawha  salt  was  preferred  by  the  pork- packers 
of  this  city  to  other  brands,  on  account  of  its  freedom  from  "  lime," 
meaning  doubtless  sulphate  of  calcium.  It  is,  therefore,  not  improb- 
able that  the  manufacturers  of  Kanawha  salt  remove  sulphate  of  calcium 
by  means  of  chloride  of  barium,  which  would  amply  explain  its  presence 
in  the  sample  examined. 
If,  however,  chloride  of  barium  is  naturally  present,  the  manufactu- 
rers of  the  salt  in  question  should  remove  it  by  the  addition  of  sulphuric 
acid,  or  preferably  of  sulphate  of  sodium  ;  correct  analyses  of  the  brines 
of  the  various  salt-wells  of  the  Kanawha  valley  would  be  very  interest- 
ing, particularly,  if  some  would  be  found  not  to  contain  barytes  at  all. 
LouisnjilUy  Ky.,  May,  1875. 
ON  THE  SYRUP  OF  FERROUS  IODIDE. 
BY    MAX  TSCHIRNER. 
[Read  at  the  March  Meeting  of  the  California  Pharmaceutical  Society.) 
The  "American  Journal  of  Pharmacy"  for  the  year  i860,  page  171, 
has  a  paper  on  liquor  ferri  iodidi,  and  the  tests  of  iodine  by  F.  F.  Mayer„ 
which  induced  me  to  take  up  the  subject,  and  I  submit  the  following 
experiments  made  by  me  and  the  conclusions  arrived  at,  to  your  kind 
notice  : 
When  iodine,  iron  and  water  are  brought  in  contact,  a  small  part  of  the 
iodine  decomposing  water,  forms  hydriodic  acid,  which,  by  a  surplus  of 
iron,  is  decomposed  again  to  ferrous  iodide  and  hydrogen.  The  quan- 
tity of  ferric  oxide  formed,  corresponds  with  the  hydriodic  acid,  and  it  is 
