SUGAR, MOLASSES, CONFECTIONS, AND HONEY. 841 



white emulsion. No. 8506, tested with the caustic potash solution, gave a pale yellow 

 emulsion, and the Japan wax a thicker white one. 



(7) Paraffin. Warm 2 grams wax with soda solution, shake and add 6 cc. of ben- 

 zol. Heat to 50 for an hour and then let cool. Pure wax gives a fluid layer of ben- 

 zol, paraffin a cloudy or white benzol layer. 



No. 8506 gave a layer of soap which mixed with the benzol layer, rendering it 

 opaque ; color, a dirty yellow. A paraffin ( No. 8547) gave a clear layer of benzol, bnt 

 on standing over night crystals appeared in it. A mixture of the above two samples, 

 containing about 25 per cent of paraffin, gave a reaction similar to that of the foun- 

 dation alone. The benzol solution was colored opaque, and of course no paraffin crys- 

 tals could be seen. 



(8) Bosin. Melt 1 gram wax with three or four drops of concentrated sulphuric 

 acid. Rosin gives a red color, changing to violet. 



This color was given on heating a little rosin with the acid, but the mixture soon 

 became so dark that the color could not be distinguished. The same trouble was en- 

 countered when working with a sample of wax. It was soon charred, and no distinc- 

 tive color was observed. 



QUANTITATIVE EXAMINATION OF WAXES. 



METHOD FOR DETERMINING PARAFFIN IN WAX.* 



The lately proposed method of Lies-Bodart,t based on the determination of the 

 hydrocarbon (C-nHw) contained in the wax, appears unreliable, because of the 

 varying composition of beeswax and because of the uncertainty of the true composi- 

 tion of beeswax. The method of Payen, t based on the determination of the melting 

 points, is useful in confirming or disproving the genuineness of any particular sample 

 of wax, but it gives no idea as to the amount of added paraffin, as the different paraf- 

 fins possess very different melting points and the influence of the several kinds of 

 mixtures with wax is not known. Of much greater importance, at least it so seems 

 to me, is the determination of the specific gravity of such a mixture, as normal wax 

 has a constant specific gravity and the specific gravity of paraffins of different origin 

 vary only within narrow limits; and, finally, the specific gravities of paraffin and wax 

 lie tolerably far apart. The following determinations were made with samples which 

 were first melted for some time, to free them from adhering water, and after cooling 

 were kneaded and pressed to free them from all water bubbles. The fluid in which the 

 specific gravity was taken was a mixture of alcohol and water, as investigation had 

 shown that such a mixture possessed practically no solvent effect on paraffin during 

 the time of the experiment. Determinations of the specific gravities of different 

 samples of beeswax, indisputably genuine in origin and partly personally melted 

 from the comb, gave the following numbers : 



Yellow wax No. 1 .968 White wax No. 1 .968 



do. No. 2 .965 do. No. 2 .966 



do. No. 3 .969 



For the following experiments, white wax (sample number 3) was used. Determi- 

 nations of the specific gravities of the different samples of paraffin gave the follow- 

 ing: Paraffin from Saxon brown coal, hard variety, 0.875, and soft variety. 0.871. 

 Paraffin from Boghead coal, 0.873 ; paraffin from petroleum (so-called Belmoutin) from 

 th London paraffin factory, 0.873 ; paraffin from Rangoon tar, (a) 0.869 ; (6)0.870; 

 paraffin from a German shale, (a) 0.877 ; (6) 0.853; (c) O.b76; paraffin from tar of red 

 birch wood (made in the year 1832 and very likely by the discoverer of paraffin, 

 Reicheubach himself), 0.874. 



I was not able to note experiments made with paraffin made from turf of Derby- 

 shire, devil's dung, Galician ozokerite or neftgil, nor could I find statements as to their 



* R. Wagner, Fres. Zeit. f. a. Chem., 1866, 279. 



t Compt. rend 62, 749; Fres. Zeit f. a. Chein., 1866, 252. 



t Fres. Zeit. f. a. Chem, 4, 490. 



