706 MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



principally different clouding points (at which they will begin to deposit stearin). 

 Spermaceti is the semi-solid fraction of the crude oil, the "foots" or stearin of 

 commercial sperm oil. There is also a glyceridic fraction in all sperm oils com- 

 prising about 15 to 30 per cent, depending on the fraction under consideration or 

 the composition of the crude (body blubber only, or body and head combined). 



When the crude sperm oils arrive at the refineries, they are usually mixed in 

 their natural proportions (viz., Va head oil and % body oil) and treated together. 

 The chief operation of refining is that of the separation of the spermaceti from 

 the sperm oil, which is effected by prolonged refrigeration and subsequent pressing 

 of the partially solidified mass. The crude sperm oil is allowed to stand in refrig- 

 erating chamber or out of doors from 10 to 14 days at a temperature of 32° F 

 (0° C). The oil is then separated from the crude spermaceti by pressure in an 

 hydraulic press. The clear oil, thus obtained, is known as "winter sperm oil"; 

 according to the usual commercial standards this grade must not congeal at 38° F 

 (3.3° C). Usually the amount of winter sperm oil obtained is about 75 per cent 

 of the weight of the crude oil. This oil is bleached, usually by filtration through 

 fuller's earth, before it is marketed. 



The residue from the pressing of the winter sperm oil is again pressed at a 

 higher temperature (from 50-60° F [10-15.6° C]); the oil obtained is called 

 "spring sperm oil" and sohdifies at 50 to 60° F. About 9 per cent of the total 

 crude sperm oil is obtained as spring sperm oil. 



The press cakes are stored for several days in rooms about 80° F (26.7° C). 

 After trimming they are again pressed, whereby a third grade of oil ("taut- 

 pressed oil") is produced, which solidifies at a temperature of 90 to 95° F (32.2 

 to 35° C). A relatively small amount (about 5 per cent) of this oil is obtained. 

 The residue in the press cloth is crude spermaceti of a brown color, and consti- 

 tutes from 10 to 12 per cent of the crude sperm oil. 



Sperm oil differs from fish, fish-liver, and whale oils in that it consists chiefly 

 of waxes and not of fats. Waxes are esters of fatty acids and monovalent alcohols. 

 Upon hydrolysis, sperm oil yields from 60 to 65 per cent of fatty acids and from 

 35 to 40 per cent of monovalent aliphatic alcohols. Since the liquid fats contain 

 about 95 per cent of fatty acids, this characteristic serves to distinguish the liquid 

 waxes from all fatty oils. The specific gravity of these waxes is much lower than 

 that of whale oil and other marine animal oils. 



Sperm oil absorbs very little oxygen from the atmosphere. Its viscosity is not 

 influenced by variations in temperature to as great a degree as fatty oils. Because 

 of these properties it is a valuable oil for many lubrication purposes. 



The most comprehensive work on the chemical composition of sperm ofls is 

 that of Hilditch and Lovem (1928, 1929a, and 1929b). They made the following 

 observations : 



(1) Head oil esters contained: Wax 74 per cent and glycerides 26 per cent. 

 Blubber oil esters contained: Wax 66 per cent and glycerides 34 per cent (Tables 

 156, 157, and 158). 



(2) The amount of palmitoleic acid in blubber ofl was the largest of any 

 known animal, and this fact plus the high amount of low unsaturated acids 

 (monoethylenic) and low amount of high unsaturated acids of Ca, and C22 should 

 make (when partly hydrogenated) soap material superior to ordinary hardened 



