378 IV. WAXES, HIGHER ALCOHOLS, ETC. 



Cyclic and derivatives 



Sitosterol 0.8% 



a-Saccharostanediol 4% 



j8-Saccharostenone 0.1-0.2% 



Hydrocarbons 3-5% 



Ilentriacontane 1 . 5-3% 



Pentatriacontane 1 . 5-2% 



Cane wax finds application in the polish and electrical industries'^- and 

 as a replacement for carnauba wax, beeswax, and montan wax. 



b'. Other Related Waxes: Mountain bamboo leaf wax, obtained from 

 Sasa {Arundinaria) paniculata Makino, is a hard, brittle wax obtained 

 from Japan. It contains myricyl alcohol and myricinic acid, but no appre- 

 ciable amount of sterols.'*' Esparto wax is a product of esparto-grass or 

 needle-grass, which grows in Libya and North Africa. Two varieties con- 

 tain appreciable amounts of wax, Stipa tenacissima L. and Lygeum spartium 

 L. They are dewaxed prior to use in the manufacture of paper. This is a 

 high-melting wax (78 °C.). It contains the usual wax acids and alcohols. 

 Esparto is one of the best substitutes for carnauba wax. Fiber wax is 

 the name of a somewhat similar product made from grass straw in Spain. 

 Lachryma wax is also similar to esparto wax; it is obtained from a Japanese 

 and East Indian grass called Job's tears (Coix lachryma-johi L.). The 

 waxes from many other leaf blades have been studied, such as cocksfoot or 

 orchard grass {Dactylis glomerata L.), wheat (Triticuni aestivum L.), lucerne 

 leaf (Medicago saliva L.), henequen {Agave foiircroydcs) , and the related 

 sisal-hemp {A. sisalana MiW.). 



(d) Waxes from Leaves of Broad-Leaf Trees. The principal source of 

 wax in this category is from certain species of the eucalyptus. A wax melt- 

 ing at 55-56 °C. has been isolated from the "red gum" or cider eucalyptus of 

 Tasmania {Eucalyptus gunni acervula Hook.) which contains principally the 

 hydrocarbons, heptacosane and nonacosane. 



The leaves of the white sandalwood {Santalum album L.) are another 

 source of wax. They contain 44% of a ketone, pahnitone, as well as 6% of 

 a hydroxy-ketone, d-10-hydroxypalmitone.'** Other members of the 

 Santalales family which have waxes are the Pacific-American mistletoe, 

 Phoradendron villosum, and the balanophoraceae. 



(e) Waxes from Leaves of Narrow-Leaf Trees. The waxes obtained from 

 the conifers have been investigated by Bougault and Bourdier. '** The acids 

 present were hydroxy-acids, which combined with each other in ester link- 

 age to form etholides (see page 27). Juniperic acid (C16H32O3) is present 



=»2 M. Rindle, S. African J. Ind., 5, 513-518 (1922); Chem. Abst., 17, 646-647 (1923). 



3" M. Tuzimoto, J. Soc. Chem. Ind. Japan, 4^, suppl., 396 (1939); Chem. Abst., 34, 

 2197 (1940). 



36* A. C. Chibnall, S. H. Piper, H. A. el Mangouri, E. F. Williams, and A. V. V. Iyengar, 

 Biochem. J., 31, 1981-1986 (1937). 



3" J. Bougault and L. Bourdier, Compt. rend., 147, 1311-1314 (1908). 



