Monograph: |
Ichthammol
Ichthammol is a reddish-brown lo almost black Viscous liquid
with a strong characteristic empyreumatic odour. It consists
mainly of the ammonium salts of the sulphonic acids of an
oily substance prepared from the destructive distillation of a
bituminous schist or shale, together with ammonium sulphate
and water. The Ph. Eur. specifies not less than 4.5% and not
more than 7.0% of total ammonia, not less than 10.5% of or-
ganically combined sulphur, calculated on the dried material.
and not more than 20% of the total sulphur in the form of
sulphates. The USP specifies that it yields not less than 10.0%
of total sulphur and not less than 2.5% of ammonia.
Miscible with water and with glycerol: slightly soluble in al-
cohol, in ether, in fatty oils. and in liquid paraffin: forms ho-
mogeneous mixtures with wool fat and soft paraffin.
Incompatible with wool alcohols.
Light Ammonium Bituminosulphonate (Ammoniumbitumi-
nosulfonat Hell) is produced from the light distillate fraction
of shale oil.
Ichthammol has slight bacteriostatic properties and is used in
a wide range of topical preparations, for a variety of skin dis-
orders: it has also been used in suppositories for anorectal dis-
orders. Ichthammol is often used with zinc oxide in
medicated bandages for chronic eczema. Ichtham-
mol may be slightly irritant to the skin and there have been
rare reports of hypersensitivity.
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