Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1S93. 
Examination  of  Beeswax. 
589 
by  Hiibl's  method.  Fehling's  method1  gives  an  unmistakable  tur- 
bidity with  one  per  cent,  of  stearic  acid  and  is  executed  thus  :  boil 
one  gram  of  the  wax  in  a  test  tube  with  10  cc.  of  80  per  cent,  alco- 
hol for  a  few  minutes,  allow  to  cool  to  180  or  200  C,  filter,  to  the  fil- 
trate add  water  and  shake.  If  stearic  acid  is  present  it  separates  in 
flocks  on  the  surface,  leaving  the  underlying  fluid  nearly  clear. 
A.  H  Allen2  gives  a  method  depending  on  the  insolubility  of  lead 
stearate  in  alcohol.  Proceed  thus:  boil  the  wax  for  40  minutes  with 
20  parts  of  alcohol,  cool,  the  cerolein  and  some  of  the  stearic  acid 
remain  in  solution.  Filter  and  treat  the  filtrate  with  an  alcoholic 
solution  of  lead  acetate,  if  a  flocculent  precipitate  of  lead  stearate  is 
formed,  stearic  acid  is  contained  in  the  wax. 
F.  Jean's  method3  was  also  tried  but  proved  unreliable,  at  all  events 
waxes  proven  to  be  free  from  stearic  acid  by  Hiibl's  and  Fehling's 
methods  gave  unmistakable  evidence  of  stearic  acid. 
7-8  cc.  of  seminormal  alkali  equals  one  gram  of  commercial  stearic 
acid. 
Stearin  may  be  detected  by  the  methods  employed  for  stearic  acid. 
Rosin.— Ji.  Donath's  method1  modified  by  E.  Schmidt3  was  applied 
in  each  case  and  is  executed  thus :  place  5  grams  of  the  wax  into  a 
flask,  add  20  cc.  of  crude  nitric  acid  (sp.  gr.  1*32)  heat  the  mixture 
to  boiling  and  keep  at  this  temperature  for  one  minute.  Add  an 
equal  bulk  of  cold  water,  then  an  excess  of  ammonia  water.  With 
pure  wax  the  alkaline  fluid  is  colored  yellow  only,  but  in  presence 
of  rosin  a  deep  brown. 
Paraffin. — Paraffin  is  a  common  adulterant  of  beeswax,  in  fact, 
some  samples  of  wax  might  more  appropriately  be  reported  adul- 
terated paraffin  for  as  high  as  80  per  cent,  of  this  substance  has  been 
found  mixed  with  wax  in  our  markets. 
There  are  many  methods6  for  detecting  paraffin  and  its  allies  but 
the  process  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  has  given  the  writer  results  as 
reliable  as  any  and  is  outlined  thus  :  "  If  5  Gm.  of  Yellow  Wax  be 
1  1858,  Dingl.  poly.  J.,  147,  222  ;  see  also  Chem.  Ztg.,  1890,  14,  606. 
2  Commercial  Organic  Analysis,  2,  213. 
3  1891,  Bull.  Soc.  Chim.  (3),  5,  3. 
4  1873,  Ding.  poly.  J.,  205,  131  ;  Abst.  Zeit.  anal.  Chem.,  12,  325. 
5  1877,  Ber.,  10,  837  ;  Zeit.  anal.  Chem.,  17,  509. 
3  See  References,  U.  S.  Bull.,  No.  13,  828,  and  Chem.  Ztg.,  1S90,  14,  607. 
