| Description |
A very fine, pale buff or cream-coloured to greyish-white powder, free or almost free from gritty particles
|
Solubility |
Insoluble in water but swells into a homogeneous mass; insoluble in, and does not swell in, organic solvents
|
| Identification |
A gelatinous precipitate should produced
|
pH |
9.0 to 10.5
|
| Sedimentation value |
After 24 hours the volume of the clear supernatant liquid should not greater than 2 ml
|
Swelling power |
The apparent volume of the sediment at the bottom of the cylinder should not less than 24 ml
|
| Coarse particles |
NMT 0.5 per cent
|
Microbial contamination |
1 g is free from Escherichia coli
|