Originally posted by woelen
Keep in mind that ferric citrate is not a simple compound. In reality you get a citrato complex of indeterminate composition. The commercial product
usually is "ammonium ferric citrate", but this is a complex, which can be green or brown, depending on the citrate/iron ratio.
Also keep in mind that solutions of "ferric citrate" are very prone to mould. I once has a solution of brown "ferric ammonium citrate" and after a few
weeks it was horrible. All kinds of moulds, hairy and stinky, were in the solution. A frequently used method of preventing this moulding is addition
of a few crystals of thymol. This does not form complexes with iron (III), such as phenol does, but it has the preserving properties of phenol.
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