SUGAR, MOLASSES, CONFECTIONS, AND HONEY. 



829 



ties varying only within narrow limits. He gives a table of the specific gravity of 

 various mixtures of wax of 0.969 specific gravity, and paraffin of 0.871. 



Pure wax (free from paraffin) should sink in alcohol of 0.961 specific gravity (33 

 per cent by volume, Tralles). 



DETECTION OF PARAFFIN IN WAX.* 



For this purpose Landolt recommends heating a nut-sized piece of the wax, with 

 excess of fuming sulphuric acid, in a porcelain dish. As soon as the wax melts a vig- 

 orous reaction sets in, enfeebled, however, by the presence of paraffin. Heat for two 

 or three minutes after the evolution of gas begins to slacken, and then allow to cool. 

 Paraffin is found as a transparent layer, easily removable. It is best to use enough 

 acid to insure the mass remaining fluid at the end of the reaction, as otherwise the 

 paraffin is contaminated with the decomposition products of the wax. In this case 

 another treatment with acid will be found to make the paraffin colorless. By this 

 method very small per cents of paraffin can be detected. Ordinary acid should not 

 be used, as the decomposition with it is tedious. 



According to Wagner, t Dullo,t and Breiteulohner, this method is seldom applicable, 

 inasmuch as paraffin butter (vaseline), not solid paraffin, is used, and the former is 

 destroyed by sulphuric acid. This method is unreliable, and not used at the present 

 time. 



DETECTION OF PARAFFIN IN BEESWAX. || 



Payen recommends for this purpose the determination of the melting point. Wax 

 mixed with paraffin melts at 48, while the usual melting point of the wax of com- 

 merce lies between 61.5 and 62. Paraffin has the property of lowering the melting 

 point of beeswax. All kinds of paraffin, from whatever source, have melting points 

 lower than 62. [There is a paraffin found in Rangoon oil which has a melting 

 point in the neighborhood of 61, which is only 1 under that of wax, and accord- 

 ing to Hofstatter paraffin from ozokerite has occasionally a melting point of 65.5.] 

 Boghead paraffin melts at 42 ; that from turf tar at 49.5, and that from shale 

 (Autun) melts at 49. 



The fusibility of paraffin is changed by distillation, and the distilled paraffin always 

 shows a lower melting point. If in distilling the distillation be broken off', when 

 only about one-half or two-thirds has come over, the distillate invariably shows a 

 lower melting point than the residue. Payen also recommends the method based on 

 the fact that when an adulterated wax is saponified with alcoholic potash and the 

 soap solution evaporated to di yness, the paraffin can be extracted with ether. 



" Dingl. polyt. Journ., 1861, 160, 334, through Fres. Zeit. f. a. Chern., 1862, 116. 



t Dingl. polyt. Jour., 1867, 185, 72. 



t Wagner's Jahresber., 1863, 670. 



$ Ib id., 1864, 662. 



|| Journ. de pharm. et de chim.,T. 2, se"r. 4, 233, Fres. Zeit. f. a. Chem., 1865, 490. 



