Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/449

WAXES. counts of tlin princijial waxes Unown. Tlipy may be (lividod into lir|uicl and solid va.es, tlic for- mer includintr sperm oil and liotdenosc oil, botli of animal origin. The solid waxes may he sub- divided into those of animal and those of vepo- table orii^in. The former include spermaceti, beeswax, wool wax, and serum wax. The solid waxes of vegetable orijjin include carnfwuba wax, Chinese wax, opium wax, palm wax, ocuba wax, getah wax, ocotilla wax, and cottonseed wax.

Sperm Oil. This is' derived from the head matter of llie sperm whale (I'hysctcr macroceph- aliis). The blubber, i.e. the material con- taininj,' the wax, when tried out yields a crude oily liquid composed chiefly of sperm oil and spermaceti (see below), the latter being subsequently removed by chilling and pressure. Sperm oil is a pale yellow thin "liquid with a slight odor. Its specific gravity is from 0.875 to 0.880. If of good quality it contains very little free fatty acid. The composition of sperm oil is as yet in dispute. By some authorities it is said to contain dodecatyl and cetyl alcohols. Its viscosity, which is higli for a low-gravity oil, does not change materially with rise of tempera- ture as is the case with fatty oils, and, as it is a non-drying substance and not liable to become rancid, it has long been a favorite lubricant for light high-speed machinery. Sperm oil is often largely adulterated, mainly with other fieh oils. These are usually quite easy to detect by their odor, especially on heating. Mineral oils can be best detected by the flash test. (See Oils.) As an illuminant sperm oil has been almost en- tirely superseded by the cheaper mineral oils. Bottleno.se Oil. This is derived from the so- called Arctic sperm whale {Hyperoodon rostra- tus) . It is a liquid darker than sperm oil and has a peculiar and characteristic taste and odor. It is more likely to gum than sperm oil. But chemically considered the two liquid waxes are probably identical, the main constituent of cither being the ester composed of dodecatyl alcohol and doeglie acid. Bottlenose oil is chief- ly used as a lubricant and as an adulterant for sperm oil.

Spehmaceti. This is the solid crystalline wax occurring with sperm oil (see above) in the head matter of the sperm whale. It is isolated by chilling and pressure. Crude spermaceti, which has a brown or yellow color and a scalj- struc- ture, is treated with .caustic potash, which bleaches it and removes traces of oil. The prod- uct is white, semi-transparent, solid, odorless, and tasteless. It melts at 45° C. (113° F.). Its specific gravity is 0.943. Chemically sperma- ceti is almost pure cetyl palmitate. It is largely used in candle-making, pharmaej', and confec- tioner}'. In burning it gives a clear smokeless flame. Spermaceti is not often adulterated, as any admixture would interfere with its peculiar trainsparency and crystalline structure.

Beeswax. This is the material secreted by the common honey bees and used by them to con- struct the comb. It is obtained in the crude state by melting the comb over hot water and washing several times to remove soluble and suspended impurities. The natural color is yellow, but it may be bleached by the prolonged action of sunlight or of various oxidizing agents, such as the bichromate or permanganate of po- tassium and sulphuric acid, or nitric acid, hy- drogen peroxide, etc. Bleached wax is odorless, C(d(jrlcss, and ' tasteless. It consists chielly of mvricvl palmitate with some free corotic acid. It'meits at 03° C. (l.'54.4° F.) and has a specific gravity of 0.905 to 0.900. It is often adulterated with water, starch, flour, stearin, parafiSn, ceresin, tallow, vegetable wax, or white mineral substances. While some of these adulterants are very easy to detect, others require the work of a skilled analyst. It has been stated that bees- wax ijivariably contains pollen. This may, of course, be detected by means of the microscope. Beeswax is still used for making candles. It is also used in the preparation of water-proofing materials, as a furniture polish, and in phar- nKicy.

Chinese Wax. This is secreted by the Coccus cerifrrus (an insect) and deposited "on the twigs of the Chinese ash. From these it is removed by hand and melted in hot water to remove me- chanical impurities. The wax is a hard, white, crj-stalline solid, without taste or smell. It somewhat resembles spermaceti, l)Ut is harder and more fibrous. It is sliglitly soluble in alco- hol and completely so in light hydrocarbons. It consists chierty of ceryl cerotate. Its specific gravity is 0.970 and its melting-point is 82° to 83° C. (about 180° F.). It is used in the East as a substitute for beeswax, but is rarely brought to the United States.

Wool Wax. This is obtained as a by-product in the wool-washing process, either by alkaline water or bv' some hydrocarbon solvent. Wool wax is in reality the sweat of the slieep exuding from the skin of the animal, and is a very com- plex mixture, but contains among other com- pounds large quantities of the stearic and pal- mitic esters of cholesterin and iso-cholesterin, and potassium salts of various fatty acids. As prepared by acidifying the wash waters, or dis- tilling off the organic solvent, it is a dark brawn compound with a disagreeable odor resembling that of the sheep; by repeated washing in water the soluble compounds are removed, the residue is melted over water, cooled, and allowed to solidify. In this purified state wool wax is a pale-yellow, soft, translucent substance with lit- tle if any odor. Its specific gravity is 0.973. One of the most remarkable properties of this substance is its capacity for combining mechani- cally with as much as 80 per cent, of its weight of water. The neutral wax with 22 to 25 per cent, of water is sold under the name of lanolin and is used in pharmacy as a basis for ointments. Wool wax is used as a leather-dressing and as a lubricant for wool yarn.

Carnavba Wax. This is derived from a spe- cies of palm (Copcrnica cerifera) indigenous to Brazil. The wax forms a coating on the leaves and is removed by shaking and pounding the trees. The raw wax is of a dirt}- greenish-yellow color and so hard that it can be readily pul- verized. When pure it is odorless and tasteless, melts at 83° to 88° C. (180.5° to 190.5° F.), and has a specific gravity of 0.990 to 0.999. Its composition is veiy complex. Its main ingredi- ent is myricyl cerotate, with small quantities of free cerotic acid and myricyl alcohol. Besides these, there are present a hydrocarbon melting at 59° C. (138° F.), a diatomic alcohol, and car- naubic. acid. The wax is chiefly used in the manufacture of candles and wax varnishes, and