SPERMACETI. 
129 
0*9 fall in cooling ; its solution in hot ether congeals on 
cooling ; it dissolves in the hot oils. When common 
spermaceti is triturated with alcohol, a little oily matter 
is abstracted, and, when the whole is removed, the resi- 
duary pure spermaceti has been termed by Chevreul 
cetin. Cetin fuses at 120°; 100 parts of boiling absolute 
alcohol dissolves 15*8 of cetin, but alcohol of 831 only 
3 parts ; the greater part separates, on cooling, in pearly 
scales ; acids act upon it as on other fats ; it is difficultly 
saponifiable by the hydrated alkalies ; digested for 
several days, between 120° and 190°, with a solution of 
caustic potassa in twice its weight of water; it is at length 
converted into a peculiar soap, containing margarate and 
oleate of potassa, together with an unsaponifiable fat, 
which Chevreul terms ethah On decomposing this soap 
by an acid, ethal and oleic and margaric acids separate, 
amounting together to 101*6 parts from 100 of cetin; of 
this 60*96 parts consist of fat acids and 40*64 of ethal. 
"No glycerine is produced, but 0*9 of a yellowish ex- 
tractive matter ; nor is any volatile acid formed. 
Chevreul, Saussure, and Berard have analysed cetin 
and ordinary spermaceti, and Dr. Ure spermaceti oil, 
with the following results : 
Cetin. Spermaceti. Spermaceti. Spermaceti oil. 
Chevreul. Berard. De Saussure. Ure. 
Carbon 81*660 ... 79*5 ... 75*474 ... 78*00 
Hydrogen ... 12862 ... 11*6 ... 12*795 ... 11*80 
Oxygen 5*478 ... 8*9 ... 11*377 ... 10*20 
