[ 107 ] 



X. 



ON THE HYDBOCAEBONS OF BEESWAX. 



By HUGH EYAN, D.Sc., and THOMAS DILLON", D.Sc., 



University College, Dublin. 



[Head January 25. Published May 26, 1916.] 



This research was undertaken with a view to throwing some light on certain 

 anomalies with regard to the composition of beeswax, which have been 

 observed in the results obtained by various investigators. 



In 1812, J. F. John 1 discovered that beeswax could be divided into two 

 parts — the one part, soluble in alcohol, he called " cerin," and the other, 

 which was sparingly soluble in that solvent, he named " myricin." 



John, Buchold, and Brandes, 2 and Boudet and Boissenot 3 were of opinion 

 that beeswax consisted mainly "of cerin," while B.C. Brodie, 4 to whom we 

 are most largely indebted for our knowledge of the constituents of the wax, 

 showed on the other hand that the major constituent of the wax is 

 " myricin." 



Various conceptions of the chemical nature of " cerin " and " myricin " 

 were formed during the first half of the nineteenth century. Thus Gerhardt, 5 

 starting from the hypothesis of Ettling c that " cerin " and " myricin " are 

 isomeric substances, put forward the view that " myricin " is the " metal- 

 dehyde" of stearic acid, and in this way sought to explain the fact, noticed 

 by Ettling, that beeswax, on distillation, forms a hydrocarbon melene 

 (C 30 H 60 ). 



These conceptions were, however, untenable, and it remained for the 

 brilliant investigations of Brodie, in 1849, to establish the character of the 

 two chief constituents of the wax. 



1 Chemische Schriften, 1812, iv., p. 38. 



2 Repert. iv., p. 145. 



3 Journ. de Pharm., 1848, xiii . , p. 42. 



4 Phil. Trans. 1848, p. 147 ; 1849, p. 91. Liebig'a Annalen der Chemie u. Pharm., 

 1849, lxxi., p. 144. Journ. f. prakt. Chemie, 1849, xlviii., p. 391. 



5 Annales de Chimie [3], 1845, xv., p. 236. 



6 Liebig's Annalen der Chemie u. Pharm. , 1832, ii. , p. 253. 



SCIENT. PROC. E.D.S., VOL. XV., NO. X. S 



