A New Supplement...: Ferri... Ferro...

A New Supplement to the latest Pharmacopoeias of London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Paris, Forming A Complete Dispendatory, Conspectus, and Dictionary of Medical Chemistry, Giving All the Old and New Names, Including the New French and American Medicines, and Poisons; with Symptoms, Treatment, and Tests; as Well As Herbs, Drugs, Compounds, Veterinary Drugs, With the Pharmacopoia of the Vetenary College, Nostrums, Patent Medicines, Perfumery, Paints, Varnishes, And similar articles kept in the Shops; With Their Compositions, Imitations, Adulterations, And Medicinal Uses, Being a General Book of Formulæ and Recipes For Daily Reference in the Laboratory and at the Counter.
Fourth edition, corrected, improved, and very much enlarged.
By James Rennie, M. A., Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Foreign Medicine; the Pharmacopeia Universalis; Author of a Conspectus of Prescriptions in Medicine, Surgery, and Midwifery; the Pharmacopeia Imperialis, &c. &c.
London: Baldwin and Cradock. 1837.
London: Thomas Curson Hansard, Paternoster Row.


FERRI OXIDUM NIGRUM. D. Black Oxide of Iron. Ethiops martialis. O. Is prepared by several processes. It is prescribed in engorgements of the liver and spleen, and in cases in which chalybeates are exhibited.

FERRI PERCYANIDUM. L. Ferri Prussias. O. PRUSSIAN BLUE, (which see) is exhibited in America as a tonic, in doses of gr. iij. to gr. viij twice a day in jelly or syrup, in intermittens, scrofula, chorea, and epilepsy.
Incompatible with the mineral alkalies and alkaline earths.

FERRI RUBIGO. D. Rust of Iron. Crocus martis aperiens. O. A bicarbonate or protoxide of iron. Take 500 parts of sulphate of iron, and dissolve in 4000 parts of distilled water, add q. s. of sesqui-carbonate of potass, or of solution of soda, to precipitate the oxide, which is washed, dried, and reduced to powder; or expose pure filings of iron to the dew till the rust is formed. See the next article.

FERRI SESQUI-CARBONAS. L. Sesqui-carbonate of Iron.Carbonas ferri. E. Take ?viij of sulphate of iron, ?vj of carbonate of soda, one gallon of boiling water; dissolve the sulphate of iron and the carbonate of soda separately in Oiv of the water, mix the solutions, and let them stand that the powder may subside, pour off the liquor, wash the precipitate with hot water, and dry it by a gentle heat on bibulous paper. It is insoluble in water, is of a chocolate-brown colour, without smell, and of a styptic taste.
Decomposition. The acid of the sulphate of iron passes over to the soda, forming sulphate of soda in solution, while the disengaged carbonic acid of the soda passes over to the iron and forms a protocarbonate, which is precipitated to a green colour. The subsequent exposure of this to heat drives off both its water and carbonic acid, while it absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere, and becomes a chocolate-brown, being in reality a peroxide of iron, that may have remained undecomposed by heat.
Incompatible with galls, and other astringent vegetables, and with tannin, &c.
Medicinally it is exhibited as a diffusible tonic, like other chalybeates, it doses of gr. iv. to ?j, in form of pill or powder, with bitters and in doses of gr. iv. to ?j, in form of pill or powder, with bitters and aromatics, in dyspepsia and debility. It has lately been strongly recommended also in cancer, and particularly in neuralgia, or tic doloreux, in doses of ?ss to ?iij twice or thrice a day. It is obvious it can do no good where the pain is produced from the pressure of osseous spiculæ, &c.
Enters into Ferri Ammonio-chloridum. L. Tartar. Ferri. D.

FERRI SULPHAS. L. E. D. P. Sulphate of Iron. Green copperas. Green vitriol, Sal martis, Ferrum vitriolatum. O. Take 3viij each by weight of iron and sulphuric acid, Oiv of water; mix the sulphuric acid with the water in a glass vessel, and add the iron; when bubbles cease to escape, filter the liquor and dry the crystals on blotting-paper.
Decomposition. The water being partly decomposed, its hydrogen escapes while its oxygen unites with the iron, forming a suboxide, which combines with the sulphuric acid, and is dissolved in the water that remains, forming a protosulphate or subsulphate of iron in solution, which afterwards crystallizes in rhombs of a green colour, soluble in water, but insoluble in alcohol. These crystals when exposed to a strong heat part with their sulphuric acid, and preoxide of iron remains, known by the name of CALCOTHAR. See OXIDUM FERRI RUBRUM. P.
Incompatible with the alkalies, the earths, and their carbonates; - with the biborate of soda, the acetates of ammonia and lead, the chloride of barium, the hydrochlorate of ammonia, the nitrates of potass and silver, the tartrates of potass and soda; and with soap. It is also decomposed by astringent vegetable susbstances, and what has been termed a tannogallate of iron is formed, but it retains in that case most of its properties.
Medicinally the sulphate of iron is tonic and astringent, and in a large dose emetic. It is given in doses of gr. j to gr. v with bitters, &c., in debility and relaxation, and also as a vermifuge. M. Marc says it is febrifuge.
It is used extensively to adulterate beer, to which it gives a fine frothy heading. When not in great quantity, however, it must be rather wholesome than otherwise. It is also used extensively in dyeing, making of ink, &c.
Enters into Pil. Ferri Comp. L. Sulph. Ferri Exsicc. E.

FERRO-CYANATE OF BARYTA is prepared by digesting purified Prussian blue with a solution of pure baryta. It is soluble in water, and is used in preparing ferro-cyanic acid. A similar salt is formed with magnesia nad with strontia.

FERRO-CYANATE OF POTASS, formerly Triple Prussiate of Potass, is procured by digesting pure Prussiab blue in potass till the alkali is neutralized, when the peroxide of iron being set free, a yellow liquid is formed, which yields crystals of ferro-cyanate of potass by evaporation. It is made also on a large scale by igniting hoofs, horns, &c., with potass and iron. It is an excellent test for iron.
Soluble in less than its own weight of water.

FERRO-CYANIC ACID is procured in crystals by dissolving 58 grains of crystallized tartaric azic in alcohol, and mixing the liquid with 50 grains of the ferro-cyanate of potasss, dissolved in the smallerst possible quantity of hot water, when the bittartrate of potass is precipitated, and the clear solution upon being evaporated deposits the acids in small yellow cubic crystals. It has no smell, is not valatile, and in small quantities is not poisonous. M. Porrett calls it Ferruetted Chyazic Acid. It forms with bases ferrocyanides, or ferrocyanurets, such as the ferrocyanide of potassium.
Test. Any of the per-salts of iron, when no free alkali is present, furnish a very delicate test of this acid, by forming with it Prussian blue.

FERRO-SESQUI-CYANIC ACID. Procured from solution of lead by treating it with ferro-sesqui-cyanide of potassium. It is in the formof brown crystals.

FERRO-SESQUI-CYANIDE OF IRON. A name for Prussian Blue, which see.