854 



FOODS AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



Combined acids correspond to 71 to 72 milligrams potash for 1 grain of wax, equiva- 

 lent to 32.85 to 34.67 per cent palmitic acid in the wax. Ratio between the free and 

 combined acids, 3.5 to 3.8. Percentage of iodine absorbed by wax, 8.3 to 11 ; corre- 

 sponding tooleic acid, 9 to 12 per cent. 



Alcohols of wax. 



Hydrogen evolved for 1 gram of wax, under the influence of potash, 53.5 to 57.5 

 cc; corresponding to per cent of melissic alcohol, 52.5 to 56.5; ratio of melissic alco- 

 hol to palmitic acid, 1.58 to 1.65. 



Hydrocarbons of wax. 



Per cent, 12.5 to 14. Melting point, 49. 5. Percentage iodine absorbed by the hydro- 

 carbons, 22.05. 



MM. A. and P. Buisine* state further that besides these two processes (Hehner and 

 Hiibl.) they are in the habit of using three others. They take the iodine number and 

 determine the alcohols and hydrocarbons. The results it is true vary within certain 

 limits, but, on the whole, these methods permit the detection of fraud, both quali- 

 tatively and quantitatively, provided the numbers corresponding to the various 

 adulterants are once determined. 



With this end in view they have studied the substances oftenest employed in adul- 

 teration, using a method already described, for yellowt and whitet wax. Having 

 found ci series of numbers peculiar to these bodies and representing quantitatively 

 their composition, we determined their variance from those given by pure wax and 

 the degree in which they modify the results when added to it. The following table 

 shows the results : 



Comparing these numbers to those given by pure wax, it is apparent that the in- 

 troduction of any foreign body modifies more or less the results, and since different 

 waxes give varying figures the nature of the impurity can be detected. 



(1) The melting point of beeswax is lowered by the addition of Japan or China 

 wax, by certain kinds of paraffin, by stearic acid and tallow. On the contrary, it 



Bull. Soc. Chim., 1891, 3d sen, t. 5, p. 654. 

 t Bull. Soc. Chim., 3d Be>., t.3, p. 867. 

 t Bull. Soc. Chim., 3d s6r., t. 4, p. 465. 



