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Spermaceti (from Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 sperma, seed, and cetus, whale) is a wax
Wax

Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by bees and used by them in constructing their honeycombs.It is an imprecisely defined term generally understood to be a substance with properties similar to beeswax, namely...
 present in the head cavities of the sperm whale
Sperm Whale

The Sperm Whale is the largest of all toothed whales and largest living toothed animal. The whale was named after the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in its head and originally mistaken for sperm or semen....
 (Physeter macrocephalus). Spermaceti is extracted from sperm oil
Whale oil

Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of Right Whale and the Bowhead Whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale....
 by crystallisation at 6 °C, when treated by pressure and a chemical solution of caustic alkali
Alkali

In chemistry, an alkali is a Base , Ionic compound salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal Chemical element. Alkalis are best known for being Base s that dissolve in water....
. 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.






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Spermaceti (from Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 sperma, seed, and cetus, whale) is a wax
Wax

Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by bees and used by them in constructing their honeycombs.It is an imprecisely defined term generally understood to be a substance with properties similar to beeswax, namely...
 present in the head cavities of the sperm whale
Sperm Whale

The Sperm Whale is the largest of all toothed whales and largest living toothed animal. The whale was named after the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in its head and originally mistaken for sperm or semen....
 (Physeter macrocephalus). Spermaceti is extracted from sperm oil
Whale oil

Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of Right Whale and the Bowhead Whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale....
 by crystallisation at 6 °C, when treated by pressure and a chemical solution of caustic alkali
Alkali

In chemistry, an alkali is a Base , Ionic compound salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal Chemical element. Alkalis are best known for being Base s that dissolve in water....
. 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 candle
Candle

A candle is a source of light, and sometimes a source of heat, consisting of a solid block of fuel and an embedded candle wick.Today, most candles are made from paraffin....
s of a standard photometric
Photometry (optics)

Photometry is the science of measurement of light, in terms of its perceived brightness to the human eye. It is distinct from radiometry, which is the science of measurement of radiant energy in terms of absolute power; rather, in photometry, the radiant power at each wavelength is weighted by a luminosity function that models human b...
 value, in the dressing of fabrics, and as a pharmaceutical excipient
Excipient

An excipient is an inactive substance used as a carrier for the active ingredients of a medication. In many cases, an "active" substance may not be easily administered and absorbed by the human body; in such cases the substance in question may be dissolved into or mixed with an excipient....
, especially in cerate
Cerate

Cerate is an unctuous preparation for external application, of a consistency intermediate between that of an ointment and a plaster, so that it can be spread upon cloth without the use of heat, but does not melt when applied to the skin....
s and ointment
Ointment

An ointment is a viscous semisolid preparation used topically on a variety of body surfaces. These include the skin and the mucus membranes of the eye , vagina, anus, and nose....
s.

Properties


Spermaceti is insoluble in water, very slightly soluble in cold alcohol
Ethanol

Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatility , flammable, colorless liquid....
, but easily dissolved in ether
Diethyl ether

Diethyl ether, also known as ether and ethoxyethane, is a clear, colorless, and highly flammable liquid with a low boiling point and a characteristic odor....
, chloroform
Chloroform

Chloroform, also known as trichloromethane and methyl trichloride, is a chemical compound with chemical formula CarbonHydrogenChlorine3....
, carbon disulfide
Carbon disulfide

Carbon disulfide is a colorless, volatile liquid with the chemical formula CS2. The compound is used frequently as a building block in organic chemistry as well as an industrial and chemical non-polar solvent....
, and boiling alcohol
Ethanol

Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatility , flammable, colorless liquid....
. Spermaceti consists principally of cetyl palmitate (ester of cetyl alcohol
Cetyl alcohol

Cetyl alcohol, also known as 1-hexadecanol and palmityl alcohol, is a solid organic compound with the chemical formula CH315OH....
 and palmitic acid
Palmitic acid

Palmitic acid,CH314COOH or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants....
), C15H31COO-C16H33.

A botanical alternative to spermaceti is a derivative of jojoba oil, jojoba esters
Jojoba ester

Jojoba esters are the hydrogenation or transesterification product of Jojoba oil. Interesterified Jojoba Esters are commonly used in cosmetics formulations as an emollient, due to its remarkable similarity to the natural sebum, and its high oxidative stability....
, C19H41COO-C20H41, a solid wax which is chemically and physically very similar to spermaceti and may be used in many of the same applications. Ester
Ester

An ester is an often Aroma compound organic chemistry or partially organic compound formed by the reaction between an acid and an alcohol or aromatic alcohol with the elimination of water....
s of cetyl alcohol and jojoba oil are used as a substitute for spermaceti.

Spermaceti processing

Spermaceti was gathered during whaling and was considered a valuable resource by whalers
Whaling

Whaling is the hunting of whales and dates back to at least 4,000 BC. The evolution of traditional Arctic whaling developed with increasing rapidity with early organized fleets in the 17th century; competitive national whaling industries in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the introduction of factory ships along with the concept of whale "har...
 due to the high price that could be fetched for it. The sperm whale's head was either brought on deck or lashed to the side of the ship where the whalemen would cut a hole in the case. The spermaceti could then be drawn out by bucket or a whaleman would enter the hole and manually remove the fluid. Once gathered the spermaceti would be placed in barrels for the voyage home. A large whale would have as much as three tons of spermaceti.