Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1880. 
Several  Varieties  of  Wax. 
Solution  of  ferric  chloride  (l  part  in  10  of  95  per  cent,  alcohol)  added 
to  the  alcoholic  solution  of  the  wax  colored  No.  13  black,  with  the 
others  it  produced  either  no  alteration  or  a  brownish  or  greenish  tint. 
In  No.  II  a  cloudiness  was  produced,  insoluble  on  warming. 
Solution  of  ammonia  (sp.  gr.  0'96,  gave  with  the  alcoholic  solutions  a 
more  or  less  opalescent  mixture, 
Ether^  at  the  ordinary  temperature,  dissolved  Nos.  8  and  11  to  13 
completely,  the  remainder  partially  only.  Of  these  Nos.  i  to  7  and  9 
and  10  were  completely  dissolved  on  boiling  and,  as  with  the  hot  alco- 
holic solutions,  the  greater  part  separated  out  on  cooling,  colorless. 
The  addition  of  an  equal  volume  of  95  per  cent,  alcohol  to  the  ether- 
eal solutions,  obtained  at  the  usual  temperature,  produced  no  alteration 
in  Nos.  8,  II  to  14  and  16,  whilst  in  Nos.  i  to  7,  9,  10,  15  and  17  a 
cloudiness  appeared. 
Chloroform  dissolved  at  the  ordinary  temperature,  samples  Nos.  I  to 
13  to  a  perfectly  clear  solution  ;  Nos.  14  to  17  were  only  partially  dis- 
solved, but  on  heating  dissolved  completely,  the  greater  part  separating 
out  colorless  on  cooling. 
Petroleum  spirit  at  the  ordinary  temperature  effected  only  a  partial 
solution  which  on  boiling  became  complete.  On  cooling  the  wax 
separated  out  colorless. 
Alcoholic  solution  of  caustic  potash  (i  part  caustic  potash  in  10  parts  95 
per  cent,  alcohol)  on  only  slightly  warming  dissolved  the  Japanese  and 
Myrica  wax  (Nos.  8  to  13)  completely,  and  the  remainder  (Nos.  I  to 
7,  14  to  17)  required  to  be  boiled  for  some  time  before  solution  could 
be  effected.  On  heating  the  cooled  soap  solutions  with  about  100  parts 
of  water,  the  soaps  from  Japanese  and  Myrica  wax  dissolved  com- 
pletely, the  other  soaps  only  partially. 
Quantitative  experiments  also  were  made  with  some  of  the  samples 
as  follows  :  The  wax  was  brought  to  the  finest  possible  powder  with 
powdered  glass  and  treated  with  alcohol  or  petroleum  spirit  at  the 
ordinary  temperature,  as  long  as  anything  was  removed  by  the  solvent. 
From  the  solutions  thus  abtained,  the  alcohol  or  petroleum  spirit  was 
recovered  by  distillation,  and  the  residue  dried  at  iio°C. 
The  following  figures  were  obtained  : 
