August 17, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
121 
THE DUBLIN EXHIBITION. 
[Concluded from jiar/e 62.) 
Messrs. J. C. and J. Field, London. —The above 
firm have many novelties of a mechanical nature. 
They exhibit hi the soap line spermaceti and paraffin 
soaps. The paraffin tablet must be a mechanical 
mixture of soap and paraffin, as perfect saponifi¬ 
cation of the paraffin is out of the question. They 
also state that the paraffin tablet lias a special effi¬ 
cacy in rendering the hands unusually soft and 
pliant after its use. 
The special celebrity at present, however, of this 
firm is the production of candles from the mineral 
(if we may use the term) ozokerite. It will, perhaps, 
not be out of place to give here a short outline of 
this curious product. This natural hydrocarbon is 
found in Galicia, in the Carpathian Mountains. 
The name means a “wax-like smell,” which, how¬ 
ever, we have failed in perceiving; in fact, the 
natural product in smell is like some of the liquid hy¬ 
dro-carbons of the higher boiling-points, whilst the 
purified product is almost devoid of smell. The 
natural specimens melt from 60° to 80° C.; those of 
paraffin being about 50°. 
It, however, bears a considerable resemblance to 
paraffin in composition, thus— 
Paraffin. Moldavian Ozokerite. 
Carbon . . . 85T 85'75 
Hydrogen . . 1ST 15T5 
Nothing could be more beautiful than the candles 
made from this unpromising-looking brown ozo¬ 
kerite. 
Soaps, candles and perfumery are frequently con¬ 
nected together thus: the soap manufacturer is 
generally a candle-maker, whilst the perfumer, if 
not actually a manufacturer, is generally a refiner 
and maker of the toilet varieties. In candles and 
soaps the British and Irish manufacturers are before 
any country as regards cheapness combined with 
quality, and, as a rule, it will be found that foreign 
soaps possess a causticity which is most objection¬ 
able. We have already referred to Price’s Patent 
Candle Company, and have merely to state fur¬ 
ther that their case, as an exhibition of these articles, 
is, if not the finest, one of the handsomest in the 
building. This, however, is saying a great deal 
as there are really some very fine cases of this 
class. 
Mr. J. S. Rathbone, Dublin. —Mr. Rathbone’s 
case is full of general interest, and contains a hand¬ 
some show of candles ; but what renders his show of 
particular interest to us is the fact that he is a re¬ 
finer of sperm, or, in other words, a manufacturer 
of spermaceti, and refines sperm oil. He is also a 
bleacher of wax. The crude sperm oil, as obtained 
from the head of sperm whale, is at ordinary tempe¬ 
ratures semi-solid, from the separation of the cetin. 
This oil is separated at as low a temperature as 
possible, because on its freedom from this cetin, 
depends afterwards the purity and beauty of the 
refined sperm oil. The cetin, which is essentially 
the spermaceti, is then submitted to pressure to 
arrive at the requisite degree of purity. Frequently, 
on placing two specimens of spermaceti beside each 
other, a considerable difference in shade will be 
observed; this is not generally due to dirt mechani¬ 
cally suspended, but to the remains of the oil still 
Third Series, No. 112. 
present. The specimens of this article shown are 
beautiful in the extreme, particularly a crystallized 
pillar of it in the centre of the case. It is curious 
to observe that really pure white wax would in nine 
cases out of ten be scouted. The appearance is so 
distinct from the article called Cera alba, which is 
made up of paraffin, spermaceti, or anything you 
like but white wax. 
The General Mining Company of Ireland ex¬ 
hibit some chemicals of considerable interest. Their 
staple commodity is oxide of zinc. This Company 
possesses at Silvermines, in the county Tipperary, 
the largest deposit of calamine ore in the United 
Kingdom. It is of a red or ochrey character, and 
from this ore they manufacture oxide of zinc directly 
in the furnaces. The oxide is generaly made from 
spelter. By their process, which is a patent, the 
Company can make oxide of zinc cheaper than most 
of the other makers ; but being made directly from 
the ore, it contains a trace of lead, which vitiates to 
a certain extent its value as a pigment, as it gives a 
yellow hue. The Mining Company are anxious to 
prevent this by some modification of their process, 
because if such a change could be brought about 
they would command the market. The Company 
exhibit sulphite of zinc, and sulphite of zinc w r ool 
for disinfecting purposes, as originally prepared by 
Mr. Tichborne, of Dublin. Also caustic soda made 
by a patent process in which the inferior brands of 
oxide of zinc are utilized for the production of this 
article. In the ores obtained at Silvermines the zinc 
is more or less replaced by iron or lead. 
Ireland used to be celebrated for making mustard 
and starch, and the latter article is particularly well 
represented in the present exhibition both by British 
exhibitors and the Irish manufacturers. The starch 
is most generally manufactured in a laundry form 
in “ crystals,” as it is technically called. These so- 
called crystals are simply a prismatic kind of pipe 
produced by the splitting up of the mass of starch 
as it dries, and the peculiar way in which the 
starch breaks. Laundry starch is generally slightly 
tinted with some blue colouring matter. Most of 
the starch manufacturers prepare some of it specially 
for dietetic purposes. 
Mr. J. Kelly, Graigue. — The starch manu¬ 
facturers seem to prefer rice starch. In the first 
place the cereal is so cheap and contains such a 
large percentage (Patna rice 78 per cent.) of starch. 
Secondly, when boiling water is poured upon the rice 
granules the starch is made; tills is not the case 
with wheat starch, which requires some boiling to 
bring it to perfection. It is, however, doubtful 
if the rice starch possesses the same amount of 
stiffening properties as the old wheaten starch. The 
sample shown by Mr. J. Kelly is beautifully white. 
Messrs. Alex. Crawford and Son, Belfast.— 
This firm shows starch made for laundry purposes 
from wheat starch, and they also, under the name of 
“ Irish Corn Flour,” prepare a starch of a very 
good quality for dietetic purposes. 
Messrs. Coleman and Son, London, also show 
their beautiful “ crystals ” of rice starch. Rice 
starch is also the constitution of their now well- 
known “ Corn Flour,” prepared by them for dietetic 
purposes. 
The other exhibitors of interest, from a chemical, 
scientific, or pharmaceutical point of view, are as 
follows:— 
Yeates and Son, Dublin. —Astronomical tele- 
