830 FOODS AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



DETECTION OF PARAFFIX IN BEESWAX.* 



Heat 50 cc. of ainyl alcohol on the water bath to about 100 and add 5 grams of 

 wax. When dissolved add 100 cc. of fuming sulphuric acid diluted with half its 

 bulk of water, first heating the mixture to 100. Heat till no more bubbles are given 

 off, then cool. A cake is formed containing melissin, cerotate, and palmitate of amyl, 

 and paraffin, if contained in the sample. Heat the cake on the water bath with a 

 mixture of 50 cc. sulphuric acid and 25 cc. of Nordhausen acid. In about two hours 

 the decomposition, which goes on quietly, is ended, but the treatment ia to be con- 

 tinued until no more gas can be obtained on stirring up with a glass rod, when every- 

 thing but the paraffin will have been completely carbonized. After cooling squeeze 

 the cake and add it to 50 cc. of amyl alcohol heated to 100. Filter off the residue 

 from the solution thus formed, using a hot filtration device, pour 50 cc. hot amyl 

 alcohol on the filter, allow it to run through, and then add 50 cc. more. Heat the 

 nitrate (150 cc.) to 100 and add 70 cc. of concentrated sulphuric acid to convert the 

 amyl alcohol into amyl sulphuric acid, in which, according to Hoard, paraffin is in- 

 soluble. If the carbonization of the wax has been complete, two purifications will 

 insure the paraffin being in weighable condition. The author remarks that in using 

 this method the paraffin is not attacked, which is always the case with Landolt's 

 method, in which only faming sulphuric acid is used. 



DETECTION OF PARAFFIN IN BEESWAX.t 



Add to 2 grams of the wax 1.5 grams KHO and abontSgrams water and boil, shak- 

 ing repeatedly till a complete mixture is obtained. Cool the mass almost to the crys- 

 tallizing point of the acids and add 6 to 9 grams of petroleum ether, shaking till an 

 emulsion is formed, from which the ether does not separate on standing. Add an 

 excess of neutral lead acetate and stir with a glass rod ; separation of the ether from 

 the other liquid ensues. Separate the two and reexhaust the aqueous solution twice 

 with fresh portions of ether. The ether extract is evaporated and the residue weighed. 

 Pure yellow wax gives 14 to 16 per cent by this method, which is hardly a recom- 

 mendation for it. There are also samples of wax which give 57 per cent. To obtain 

 the paraffin pure, and free from the wax constituents, it is preferable to destroy 

 these latter by fuming sulphuric acid. 



[In the reference cited (Zeit. f. a. Chem.) the method described is wrongly attrib- 

 uted to Marggraf.] 



ADULTERANTS IN BEESWAX.t 



The paraffin-mixed wax described [in the preceding abstract] which gave 57 per cent 

 to petroleum ether, it seems from Hager's article, was suspicious from its appearance 

 and physical properties. It possessed a slippery, soapy feel, and on kneading showed 

 little viscosity. Pure yellow wax has at 20 a specific gravity not lower than 0.965 

 nor higher than 0.975. The sample in question, however, did not sink in alcohol of 

 higher specific gravity than 0.896 at 20. Another trial gave the specific gravity as 

 0.896. Latterly, according to Hager, there has been coming into the trade wax 

 adulterated with Japan wax and with paraffin, not differing greatly in looks from 

 the pure wax. The specific gravity is near that of wax, 0.920 to 0.925. It is not 

 made to imitate high-grade wax. A sample was analyzed by Hager. Three grams 

 were boiled with a solution of 0.500 grams borax in 8 cc. of water. || This gave a com- 

 plete, tolerably white emulsion, not changing in form on cooling. By this the pres- 



* Lies-Bodart, Compt. rend, T. 62, 749; Jour, de chim. med., T. 2, ee>. E me , 297; 

 Fres. Zeit. f. a. Chem., 1866, 252. 



t H. Hager, Polyt. Centralblatt, 1869, 1406 ; Fres. Zeit. f. a. Chem., 1870, I'M. 

 t Fres. Zeit. f. a. Chemie, 1870, 419. 

 $ Phann. Centralhalle, 11, 209. 

 || Method for Japan wax first published by Hager in Pharm. Contralhalle, 3, 207. 



