Monograph: |
Ferrous Sulphate
Odourless bluish-green crystals or granules or a pale green
crystalline powder, containing about 60 mg of iron in 300 mg.
It is efflorescent in dry air; on exposure to moist air it is
oxidised and becomes brown in colour due to the formation of
basic ferric sulphate.
Soluble I in 1.5 of water and I in 0.5 of boiling water: prac-
tically insoluble in alcohol. A 5% solution in water has a pH
of 3.0 to 4.0. Store in airtight containers.
Dried Ferrous Sulphate
Ferrous sulphate deprived of part of its water of crystallisa-
tion by drying at 40Β°. The USP specifies that it consists pri-
marily of the monohydrate with varying amounts of the
tetrahydrate. A greyish-white to buff-coloured powder. The
BP specifies 86 to 90% of FeSOβ: the USP specifies 86 to
89% of FeSO,.
Slowly but almost completely soluble in freshly boiled and
cooled water: practically insoluble in alcohol.
Ferrous sulphate is used as a source of iron for iron-
deficiency anaemia . It is
given by mouth and the dried form is
frequently used in solid dosage forms and the heptahydrate in
liquid dosage forms. Usual doses of dried ferrous
sulphate are up to 600 mg daily (equivalent to 180 to
195 mg of iron daily, this figure being somewhat
variable depending on the purity and water content
of the salt).
Ferrous sulphate oxidised with nitric and sulphuric
acids yields ferric subsulphate solution, also known
as Monsel's solution, which has been used as a hae-
mostatic.
For full details of iron salt click to Iron dextran.
It has more gastric side effects than other iron salts.
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