Page:EB1911 - Volume 20.djvu/73



Spermaceti consists practically of cetyl palmitate, Chinese wax of ceryl palmitate. The other waxes are of more complex composition, especially so wool wax.

The waxes can be classified similarly to the oils and fats as follows:— The table enumerates the most important waxes:— There are only two liquid waxes known, sperm oil and arctic sperm oil (bottlenose-whale oil), formerly always classed together with the animal oils. In their physical properties the natural waxes simulate the fatty oils and fats. They behave similarly

to solvents; and in their liquid condition leave a grease spot on paper. An important property of waxes is that of easily forming emulsions with water, so that large quantities of water can be incorporated with them (lanolin).

The liquid waxes occur in the blubber of the sperm whale, and in the head cavities of those whales which yield spermaceti; this latter is obtained by cooling the crude oil obtained from the head cavities. Vegetable waxes appear to be very widely distributed throughout the vegetable kingdom, and occur mostly as a very thin film covering leaves and also fruits. A few only are found in sufficiently large quantities to be of commercial importance. So far carnaüba wax is practically the only vegetable wax which is of importance in the world’s markets. The animal waxes are widely distributed amongst the insects, the most important being beeswax, which is collected in almost all parts of the world. An exceptional position is occupied by wool wax, the main constituent of the natural wool fat which covers the hair of sheep, and is obtained as a by-product in scouring the raw wool. Wool fat is now being purified on a large scale and brought into commerce, under the name of lanolin, as an