VEGETABLE WAX. 299 



chestnut-brown colour. The first consists of an exterior slightly 

 sweet pulp, which is considered a great delicacy, and is covered 

 with a dark red or almost black skin. It encloses a round, hard 

 seed, containing an oleaginous, almond-like kernel. The latter 

 when pounded yields a sort of flour, forming an agreeable 

 nutriment with milk, or a refreshing drink when mixed with 

 water and sugar. The terminal leaf -bud, or so-called '-'palm 

 cabbage " is quite small, but extremely savory and nutritious, as 

 it contains an abundance of fecula resembling sago. The wax is 

 secreted by scales, situated in the axilh>^ of the leaves, and is 

 found on both surfaces of the scales, that on the upper surface 

 readily detaching itself and falling on the ground when the tree 

 is shaken. The method of collection is as follows : — The young 

 leaf-buds and scales are cut off, dried for a few days, pounded, and 

 the powder melted in earthern vessels with a little water. A 

 more careful process appears to be practised in Aracati. The 

 men split the buds with knives and hand them to the women? 

 who carefully beat out the powdery substance with small sticks 

 upon an outstretched cloth. It is then melted and run into cakes; 

 the result constitutes the crude Carnauba wax. It is estimated 

 that each tree yields about 4|- lbs. of wax, which is hard, brittle, 

 and in the crude state of a dull, ashen colour. After purification 

 it is of a greenish-yellow colour. Its odour is agreeable, somewhat 

 resembling that of new hay and dried melilot. 



On account of its high melting point, 84^ C, it has been used 

 in England for making candles. In the melted state it can easily 

 be purified by filtration through cloth ; by this process the wax 

 assumes the yellowish-green colour natural to it when pure and 

 its peculiar odour becomes more apparent. Statistics and 

 information concerning this useful palm are given in a brochure 

 entitled "Xotice sur le palmier Carnauba," par De Macedo, 

 Paris, chez H. Plon. Carnauba wax has been investigated by 

 Maskelyne.* Its sp. gr. is 0-99907. It leaves about Ol-i per cent. 

 of ash when burnt. By saponification with alcoholic potash it yields 

 a considerable quantity of myricyl alcohol, C^^ Hg_^ 0, melting at 

 about 88^ C, which exists in the wax in the free state, and may 

 be dissolved out from it by alcohol. The wax also contains 

 quantities of other alcohols very difficult to separate. By 



* Journ. Chem. Soc. [2], vii., p. 87. 



