Increased Efficiency of Phenolic Germicides by Addition of Inorganic Salts to Produce Oxidation-Reduction Systems.

Abstract

Summary

The addition of an appropriate metallic salt (ferric chloride, ferric sulfate) to the organic compounds phenol, cresol, and Hexylresorcinol to produce oxidation-reduction systems resulted in a great increase in the efficiency of the germicides for Staphylococcus aureus. The addition of another oxidation-reduction system to phenol and cresol, composed of a mixture of ferrous and ferric chlorides, increased still further the efficiency of the germicides. It was found that maximum efficiency occurred only if the salts and germicides were mixed in certain definite proportions. The phenomenon applies to oxidation-reduction systems composed of organic germicides with inorganic salts as well as to combinations of inorganic metallic salts and should have far reaching application.