ith Compliments of the Author. 
The Real Value of the Medicinal 
Peroxide of Hydrogen Prep- 
arations Found in 
the Market. 
.BY.. 
H. ENDEMANN, Ph. D., Chemist. 
Formerly with the Health Department of New York City. 
REPRINTED FROM 
"THE TIMES AND REGISTER,'' 
December 15th, 1894. THE REAL VALUE OF THE MEDICINAL PEROXIDE 
OF HYDROGEN PREPARATIONS FOUND 
IN THE MARKET. 
By H. demann, Ph. D., Chemist. 
Formerly with the Health Department of New York City. 
My attention having repeatedly been 
called to several reports and analyses 
made by different chemists and published 
by some medical journals, I concluded 
to examine all the brands of peroxide of 
hydrogen which 1 could find on the mar- 
ket, in order to ascertain the real value 
of each when intended to be used as 
an antiseptic remedy, both internally 
and externally. 
The reports on the subject which have 
come to my knowledge are quite contra- 
dictory, and my object is to impart to 
the medical profession the results of my 
experiments, which have been made on 
fourteen fresh samples, purchased by 
me in duplicate, directly from the manu- 
facturers or their selling agents. 
These brands have been tested for the 
volume of available oxygen, the amount 
of residue, the degree of acidity, and the 
amount of soluble baryta salts contained 
therein, as per following table: 
E £ 
Resi 
Hyd 
O O 
O-C £ 
Baty 
100 
L 
• 
BRANDS. 
me of Available Oxygen, determined by means 
solution containing 5.665 Grammes of Per- 
ganate of Potash per liter of distilled water. 
due obtained from 100 C. C. of Peroxide oi 
rogen dried at 120 degrees C 
lity expressed in Cubic centimeters of Normal 
metric Soda Solution for 100 C. C. of Per- 
e 
'ta found in Soluble Baryta Salts contained in 
C. C. of Peroxide 
No. 
1. 
John Bene's Pert xlde of Hydrogen Medicinal .... 
10.50|0.1886! 
2.19| 
None 
No. 
2. 
Hydrozone 
27.3510.2180 
3.11 
None 
No. 
3. 
Larkin & Scheffer's Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
9.6510.1200 
6.75 
None 
No. 
4. 
Mallinckrodt's Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
9.55|0.1408| 
1 431 
None 
No. 
5. 
Marchand's Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
■ 116.5510.564 
1 1 
1.29 
None 
No. 
6. 
McKesson & Robbins' Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
10.9510.0540 
0.44 
None 
No. 
7. 
Merck & Co.'s Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
0.5010.2418 
4.57 
None 
No. 
8. 
Oakland Chemical Co.'s Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
10.5010.0382 
0.34 
0.0017 
No. 
9. 
Peuchot's Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
10.60 
0.4674 
1.77 
0.0018 
No. 
10. 
Powers & Weightman's Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
8.40|0.0830 
2.03 
None 
No. 
11. 
Pyrozone, 3 per cent 
11.2010.0534 
। 
0.76 
None 
No. 
12 
Rosengarten & Sons' Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal .. 
S.1010.1002 
| । 
0.25 
None 
No. 
13. 
Smith, Kline & French Co.'s Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal... 
I 6.15)0.0880 
। । 
2.6 
None 
No. 
14. 
E. R. Squibb's Peroxide of Hydrogen Medicinal 
12.4011.004 
12.04 
None 
By referring to this table it is easily 
understood that sample No. 2, "hydro- 
zone," is far superior to any other 
brand which has ever been made, not only on account of its containing a 
much larger amount of available oxy- 
gen, but also owing to the presence of 
a small quantity of several essential 
oils, the respective nature of which could 
not be determined, very likely because 
they have been submitted to the oxi- 
dizing action of peroxide of hydrogen 
before being used to make "hydrozone." 
1 attribute to this small quantity of 
essential oils the great superiority of 
hydrozone over any other brands of 
H2 02 as a healing agent. 
When hydrozone is diluted with dis- 
tilled water, in the proportion of half 
and half, the resulting mixture contains 
about 13.5 volumes of available oxy- 
gen, and its bactericide power still re- 
mains the same as the bactericide power 
of sample No. 5, which contains 16.55 
volumes of available oxygen. 
Sample No. 14 comes next to sample 
No. 5, but it is readily seen that the de- 
gree of acidity is entirely too large for 
a preparation w'hich is to be applied to 
the most sensitive diseased mucous 
membranes. 
Sample No. 11, called "Pyrozone" 
which contains 11.20 volumes of availa- 
ble oxygen, is quite similar to sample 
No. 6, with the exception that the latter 
contains a small quantity of salicylic 
acid. Very likely the salicylic acid has 
for its object to increase the bacteri- 
cide power, but, unfortunately, I fear 
that it impairs the keeping properties of 
this preparation. 
Acidity.-The 14 brands which I have 
examined contain free acids (phosphor- 
ic, sulphuric, muriatic); and I must say 
that peroxide of hydrogen medicinal 
should never be made neutral before 
using, even in the most delicate cases. 
Neutral peroxide of hydrogen rapidly 
decomposes under all conditions of ex- 
posure. 
The keeping properties of H2 02 so- 
lutions vary a great deal with the de- 
gree of purity and the percentage of 
free acids contained therein. 
If the proportion of acid is too large, 
the profession well know that it acts as 
an irritant upon diseased surfaces. If it 
is too small, the solution don't keep well. 
My opinion is, that a standard solution 
of medicinal H2 02 must answer the 
following testa: 
1. It should contain at least 15 vol- 
umes of available oxygen. 
2. The quantity of free acids contain- 
ed in 100 cubic centimetres should re- 
quire not less than 1 c. e. and not more 
than 3 c. c. of normal volumetric soda 
solution, to be made neutral. Such a 
small quantity of free acid is not ob- 
jectionable. 
3. It should not contain any soluble 
baryta salts. 
4. It must be free from sediment. 
It is to be noticed that the bra mis No. 
7 and No. 12 are valueless. 
The brands No. 8 and No. 9 are not 
fit for medicinal uses, owing to the fact 
that they contain traces of soluble 
baryta salts. 
The brand No. 3 has a heavy sediment 
of sulphate of baryta, which may be 
considered inert towards the system, but 
it is certainly detrimental to the keep- 
ing qualities of this preparation. 
Brand No. 14, w'hich is sold as a ten 
volume solution, is really twelve vol- 
umes, but it is too acid. Brand No. 5, 
which is sold as a fifteen volume solu- 
tion, is really 16.55 volumes, viz.: About 
ten per cent, above the standard. 
The brand No. 2, which is sold with- 
out any mention of volume, is really 
a 27.35 volume solution, viz.: Ninety per 
cent, above the standard. 
None of the other brands come up to 
the standard, but on the contrary they 
run from 35 to 55 per cent, below. 
-25 William street, New York City.