no FIXED OIL, ETC. 



as possible, as glycerin loses weight even in a vacuum. Compare 

 also Griessmfeier and Clausnitzer.i 



§ 129. W(ta:.—Cetyl alcohol (§ 14) melts at 48° to 49°, and at 54° 

 is miscible with spirit of specific gravity 0-812 in all propoition."!. 

 Cerotyl alcohol melts between 79° and 81°, melissyl alcohol at 85°. 

 The latter is scarcely soluble in cold alcohol, benzene, petroleum 

 spirit, or chloroform, but dissolves on boiling. 



Kcinig and Kiesow found a substance in meadow-hay which they 

 considered to be cerotene, or a 'paraffin' of the composition CjoH^j.* 



Hirsehsohn has endeavoured to find distinctive characteristics 

 for certain vegetable waxes that find application in the arfcs,^ with 

 the following results : 



Wax from Myrica quercifolia. — Soluble in 10 parts of boiling 

 chloroform ; the solution remained clear on cooling. Completely 

 soluble in ether. 95 per cent, spirit dissolved 16"16 per cent, at 

 the ordinary temperature ; petroleum spirit 53 to 62 per cent. 

 The alcoholic solution gave a. precipitate with alcoholic ferric 

 chloride (1 in 10), which did not dissolve on warming. 



Wax from another sp. of Myrica yielded 19-88 per cent, to 

 alcohol, 68-70 per cent, to petroleum-spirit Ferric chloride 

 coloured the alcoholic solution black. 



Wax from Myrica cerifera yielded 7-16 per .cent, to alcohol and 

 41 '62 per cent, to petroleum spirit. Ferric chloride coloured 

 the alcoholic solution brownish. 



Wax from Bhus succedanea (Japan wax) resemble(l the three 

 foregoing waxes in being completely soluble in chloroform, but 

 was only partially soluble in ether. Alcohol dissolved 14. per 

 cent , petroleum spirit 69-8 per cent. Boiling.with 10 parts of 10 

 per cent, alcoholic potash saponified it ; the soap was completely 

 soluble in 100 parts of water, whilst that from beeswax was only 

 partially dissolved. 



Wax from Aleurites taccifera. — The solution in chloroform 

 became turbid on cooling ; the addition of an alcoholic solution of 

 acetate- of lead to a similar solution of the wax caused a cloudiness 

 on standing. Boiling alcohol left a pulverulent, substance un- 

 dissolved. 



' Ber. d. d. chem.. Ges. xi. 292, 1878 ( Journ. Chem. Soc. xxxiv. 449), and 

 Zeitschr. f. anal. Chemie, xx. 58, 1881 (Joum. Chem. Soc. xl. 470). 



* Ber. d. d. chero. Ges. vi. 500, 1874. For vegetable wax see also Ludwig;, 

 Arohiv Pharm. [3], i. 193. 



* Pharm. Journ. and Trans. [3], x. 749. 



