DISTILLATION OF SPERMACETI. 



231 



The athal here mentioned as the base is now considered 

 as composed of a substance called cetyl, or ceten, and water. 

 This cetyl, or ceten, is obtained from athal by the action of 

 anhydrous phosphoric acid ; it is a substance of an oily nature, 

 and consists of equal equivalents of carbon and hydrogen. 



1 atom ceten C32 H32 



1 atom water H O 



1 atom anhydrous athal C32 H33 O 



1 atom water H O 



1 atom hydrated athal., ; C32 H34 O2 



Taking ceten as being the probable base of spermaceti, 

 Dumas has also proposed the following formula: 



2 ats.margarate J \ a f oms ^argaric acid..(C 3 4 H33 O3 



of oeten 1 2 at0mS Ceten C32 H32 



'2 atoms water ( H O 



1 atom oleate 

 ceten. 



1: 



C2O8 H204 O13 



1 atom oleic acid (C44 H39 O4 



atom ceten (C32 H32 



atom water ( H O 



But it will be seen that neither the percentage indicated by 



this nor by the last formula agrees with Chevreul's analysis 



of spermaceti. 



208 atoms carbon 1272* 



205 atoms hydrogen 205 



14 atoms oxygen 112 



1589 



208 atoms carbon 1272 



204 atoms hydrogen 204 



18 atoms oxygen 104 



80.06 1 

 12.90 

 7.04 



100.00 



80.51 



12.95 



6.54 



Analysis of Spermaceti 

 by Chevreul. 



Carbon 81.66 



•Hydrogen 12.86 



Oxygen 5.48 



100.00 



1580 100.00 „ 



What has been stated thus far is a short account of all that 

 was known concerning the nature and composition of sperma- 

 ceti previous to my attention being attracted to this subject, 

 and what follows is a detail of my investigations. 



Having undertaken some time since, at the suggestion of 

 Prof. Liebig, to examine the products afforded by the distilla- 

 tion of spermaceti, I arrived at certain results which lead me 

 to believe that the composition of this body was not properly 

 made out, and therefore I undertook an examination of it after 

 the most recent methods for the investigation of fatty bodies. 



* The atomic weight here taken for carbon is that of Berzelius (6115), as 

 Chevreul's calculation is made with the same. 



