NATURAL WAXES 379 



not only in the savin shrub (Juniperus sabina), but also in the Norway 

 spmce (Picea ahies (cxcelsa) Wall.) and the Northern white cedar or arbor- 

 vitae (Thuja occidentalis) . Another hydroxy-acid, sabinic, is an isomer of 

 hydroxy lauric acid (Ci2H240,j). Sitosterol occurs in the wax of the slash 

 pine (Pinus caribaea Morelet) while the wax of the white pine (P. strobus L.) 

 contains an ester of 17-ketohexatriacontanol and 11-ketotriacontanoic acid. 



(/) Waxes from Roots and Rhizomes. A number of waxes have been iso- 

 lated from roots and similar stmctures. That from the root of the common 

 dandelion {Taraxacum officinale Weber or Leontodon taraxacum L.) has 

 been shown to contain the sterols stigmasterol and j3-sitosterol. In the 

 case of alkanet root {Anchusa tinctoria Lam.), Betrabet and Chakravorti^* 

 have demonstrated that the wax is composed chiefly of carnaubyl cerotate. 



(g) Waxes from Barks. Most barks contain waxes, but generally the 

 quantities are quite small. The Douglas fir bark (Pseudotsuga iaxifolia 

 Britt.) is apparently an exception, as fairly large quantities of wax can be 

 prepared from the bark. Many bark waxes have been shown to contain 

 considerable quantities of the phytosterols. The components which have 

 been identified in some of the tree-bark waxes are listed in Table 16. 



Table 16 

 Composition of Some Tree Bark Waxes 



Sources of bark waxes °C. Components 



Privet tree bark" — Ceryl palmitate; palmitic, arachidic, and 



Ligustrum vulgare L. behenic acid esters, phytosterol, ceryl alco- 



hol, C26H44O or C25H42O alcohol, platanolic 

 acid 

 Red beech bark'' 64 Ceryl alcohol, arachidyl alcohol, phytosterol, 



Fagus sylvatica L. carnaubic acid 



Cork tree (oak)'^-'^ — Cerin,"^'"^ friedelin (ketone, CsoHsoO)'', 



Quercus suber phytosterol," phellonic acid (22-hydroxy- 



tetracosanic acid),* suberinic acid (ricin- 

 oleic)," phloionic acid"^ 

 Douglas fir l^ark^ 63 Phytosterol, melissic acid 



Pseudotsuga taxifolia Lamb. 

 Oleander bark (sweet-scented)-'' 97 Tetratriacontane, cocceric acid, carnaubyl 



Nerixim indicum .\iton alcohol 



Ocotillo or candlewcjod-'' 84 Melissyl alcohol, cerotic acid 



Fouquieria splendens Englcnuum 

 Plane tree or sycamore maple" — Cerj^l alcohol, phytosterol, palmitic acid, 



Acer pseudoplatanus L. stearic acid 



Hawthorn" — Ceryl alcohol, phj-tosterol, stearic acid, 



Crataegus oxyacantha L. palmitic acid 



English elm" — Phytosterol, other unidentified alcohols 



Ulmus procrra Salisb. 



" J. Zellner, Mcnatsh., 46, 309-331 (1925); 47, 151-177; 659-679 (1926). 

 " S. Clotofski, H. Weikert, and H. Nick, Ber., B74, 29&-307 (1941). 

 ' F. Sourti and G. Tammasi, Gazz. chim. ital, 46, II, 159-168 (1916): Chem. AbsL, 11, 

 1157 (1917). 

 ■' N. L. Drake and R. P. Jacobsen, ./. .4///. Chem. Soc, 57, 1570-1574 (1935). 

 ' N. L. Drake, H. W. Carhart, and R. Mozingo, J. Am. Chem. Soc, 63, 617-620 (1941). 

 ^ A. II. Warth, The Chemistry and Technology of the Waxes, Reinhold, New York, 1947. 



