Spermaceti

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processing of Spermaceti

Spermaceti (from Latin sperma, seed, and cetus, whale) is a wax present in the head cavities of the Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and in the blubber of all whales. Spermaceti is extracted from whale oil by crystallisation at 6 °C, when treated by pressure and a chemical solution of caustic alkali. Spermaceti forms brilliant white crystals that are hard but oily to the touch, and are devoid of taste or smell, making it very useful as an ingredient in cosmetics, leatherworking and lubricants. The substance was also used in making candles of a standard photometric value, in the dressing of fabrics, and as a pharmaceutical excipient, especially in cerates and ointments.

Spermaceti is insoluble in water, very slightly soluble in cold alcohol, but easily dissolved in ether, chloroform, carbon disulfide, and boiling alcohol. Spermaceti consists principally of cetyl palmitate (ester of cetyl alcohol and palmitic acid), C₁₅H₃₁COO-C₁₆H₃₃.

A botanical alternative to spermaceti is a derivative of jojoba oil, jojoba esters, C₂₀H₄₁COO-C₂₀H₄₁, a solid wax which is chemically and physically very similar to spermaceti and may be used in many of the same applications.

Esters of cetyl alcohol and jojoba oil are used as a substitute for spermaceti.

References

• David R. Carrier, Stephen M. Deban and Jason Otterstrom, The face that sank the Essex: potential function of the spermaceti organ in aggression, Journal of Experimental Biology 205:1755–1763, 2002.
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.