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“coast 83 otis erepieal's seas where their attention is devoted to the Physeter macy o- 
3 cephalus, the spermaceti whale or cachalot, known as being the biggest cetacean, and 
from which the valuable substance. ambergris is obtained. 
____ Norwegian chemists are often called upon to decide whether the ambergris brought 
back by the whalers is genuine or not. Ambergris is formed in the bowels of above- 
mentioned whale, but as it is not found in every animal captured its presence may 
~ possibly be due to a disease. 
In some instances the animal ejects the ambergris in lumps of from 1/2 to 75 kilos, 
and as the specific gravity of ambergris is well below 1, these lumps keep afloat for 
_ some considerable time, and they often drift ashore in the seas frequented by the whale. 
The transverse section of ambergris shows a concentrical formation of layers of — 
dark or light colour, ranging from greyish yellow to brownish black. The whole lump 
is permeated with the horny beak-like jaws of a cuttle-fish species which serves as 
food to the cachalot, and the presence of which in the ambergris is characteristic for 
genuine ambergris. These horny jaws resemble the beak of a parrot, they are dark 
brown in colour and thin. 3 
The publications which appeared so far on the chemical and physical properties 
of ambergris are rather incomplete. The melting point is given as being 60°. An 
experiment shows that ambergris is converted but very slowly from the solid to the 
liquid state. At 60° it is paste-like, but not liquid and it may be heated much beyond 
this degree before it assumes liquid form. Specific gravity is said to be from 0.908 — 
to 0.920. An experiment showed .a specific gravity of 0.950, but the sample under 
examination had been softened and compressed by the warmth of the hand. As 
regards the chemical composition of ambergris it is said to consist of about 85 per cent. 
of a fatty substance (ambraine) and about 13 per cent. of ambergris oil besides small 
traces of mineral substances. The fatty constituent of ambergris is not a fat but, | 
according to Hammarsten, a high-molecular monohydric alcohol resembling cholesterol 
(C.;HigOH + aq). As it forms the chief constituent of ambergris, the saponification 
value of the latter is low. With three samples values of 17, 19 and 35 respectively 
were found’). In consideration of the very high cost of the substance the experiments 
were carried out with but 0.2 9. in each instance. The residue of ashes is but small, 
only traces of ashes being left on the platinum dish on combustion. Ambergris is 
adulterated with tallow, benzoin, frankincense, wax &c., which substances are perfumed 
with genuine ambergris or musk. | 
Ambergris was used formerly in medicine in the form of tincture as a sedative in 
hysterics and against spasms. To-day its principal use is in perfumery as a fixing 
agent for other perfumes. Its price is, as will be known, very high, being about 
_ 4000 kroner (Scand. currency) per kilo, and in a retail way about 41/2 kroner per gram. 
. Persons entrusted with the analysis of ambergris should convince themselves in 
_ the first place of the presence of the beak-like cuttle-fish jaws, and of the formation 
' in concentrical layers. Next it should be ascertained whether the residue of ashes is 
small and saponification value low. Specific gravity and melting point afford no 
reliable indications for an analysis. 3 
' 
wy ere oe ae oe ms eT ey ee Oe 
s 
~~ 
Benzyl benzoate. The Earl of Berkeley”) has found that, when producing benzyl 
benzoate after Claisen’s process®*) (heating of sodium, benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde 
. 
a According to Riban (Compt. rend. 154 (1912), 1729; Report October 1912, 118) ambraine is a body of 
the composition Cz3H»O. — 7) Journ. Chem. Soc. 109 (1916), 522, — %) Berl. Berichte 20 (1887), 649. 
