Bromo-Seltzer

Bromo-Seltzer Tower

headquarters in Baltimore

Bromo-Seltzer is a brand of

acid indigestion. It originally contained sodium bromide and acetanilide, both toxic substances which were eventually removed. Its current formulation contains the pain reliever aspirin and two reactive chemicals – sodium bicarbonate and citric acid

– which creates effervescence when mixed with water. Sodium bicarbonate is an antacid.

History

Bromo-Seltzer was invented in 1888 by

acetaminophen, and its current formulation uses aspirin, sodium bicarbonate, and citric acid, the latter two of which provide the carbonation

.

Bromo-Seltzer's main offices and factory were located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, at the corner of West Lombard and South Eutaw streets.

Florence, Italy, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The tower originally held a 51-foot (16m) representation of a Bromo-Seltzer bottle at its top, glowing blue and rotating on a vertical axis. The sign weighed 20 tons (18.1 tonnes), included 314 incandescent light bulbs, and was topped with a crown. The sign was removed in 1936 because of structural concerns.^[1]

Emerson, who traveled widely, said the fizz reminded him of the bubbling action of Mount Bromo, a volcano in Java. ^[4]