Scientific American Supplement, No. 443, June 28, 1884 | Page 7

by bees, and
consisting of 80.2 per cent. carbon, 13.4 per cent. hydrogen, and 6.4 per
cent. oxygen. It is a mixture of myricine, cerotic acid, and cerolein, the
first of which is insoluble in boiling alcohol, the second is soluble in
hot alcohol and crystallizes out on cooling, while the third remains
dissolved in cold alcohol.
Although we are unable to produce real beeswax artificially, there are
many imitations which are made use of to adulterate the genuine article,
and their detection is a matter of considerable difficulty. Huebl says

(_Dingl. Jour._, p. 338) that the most reliable method of estimating the
adulteration of beeswax is that proposed by Becker, and known as the
saponification method.
The quantity of potassic hydrate required to saponify one gramme or 15
grains of pure beeswax varies from 97 to 107 milligrammes. Other
kinds of wax and its substitutes require in some cases more and in
others less of the alkali. This method would, however, lead to very
erroneous conclusions if applied to a mixture of which some of the
constituents have higher saponification numbers than beeswax and
others higher, as one error would balance the other.
To avoid this, the quantity of alkali required to saponify the myricine is
first ascertained, and then that required to saturate the free cerotic acid.
In this way two numbers are obtained; and in an investigation of twenty
samples of Austrian yellow beeswax, the author found these numbers
stood to each other almost in the constant ratio of 1 to 3.70. Although
this ratio cannot be considered as definitely established by so few
experiments, it may serve as a guide in judging of the purity of
beeswax.
The experiment is carried out as follows: 3 or 4 grammes of the wax
that has been melted in water are put in 20 c.c. of neutral 95 per cent,
alcohol, and warmed until the wax melts, when phenolphthaleine is
added, and enough of an alcoholic solution of potash run in from a
burette until on shaking it retains a faint but permanent red color. The
burette used by the author is divided in 0.05 c.c. After adding 20 c.c.
more of a half normal potash solution, it is heated on a water bath for ¾
hour. Then the uncombined excess of alkali is titrated with half normal
hydrochloric acid. The alcohol must be tested as to its reaction before
using it, and carefully neutralized with the acid of phenolphthalein.
To saturate the free acid in 1 gramme of wax requires 19 to 21
milligrammes of potassic hydrate, while 73 to 76 milligrammes more
are necessary to saponify the myricine ether. The lower numbers in the
one usually occur with low numbers for the other, so that the
proportions remain 1 to 3.6 or 1 to 3.8.

For comparison he gives the following numbers obtained with one
gramme of the more common adulterants:
----------------+----------+----------+---------+--------+ | To | To | Total | |
|neutralize| convert |saponifi-| | | the acid.|the ether.| cation. | Ratio. |
----------------+----------+----------+---------+--------+ Japanese wax | 20 |
200 | 220 | 10 | Carnauba wax | 4 | 75 | 79 | 19 | Tallow | 4 | 176 | 180 |
44 | Stearic acid | 195 | 0 | 195 | 0/195 | Rosin | 110 | 1.6 | 112 | 0.015 |
Paraffine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ceresine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yellow beeswax | 20 | 75 |
95 | 3.75 | ----------------+----------+----------+---------+--------+
The author deduces the following conclusions as the results of these
investigations:
1. If the numbers obtained lie between these limits, 19 to 21, 73 to 76,
92 to 97, and 3.6 to 3.8 respectively, it may be assumed that the
beeswax is pure, provided it also corresponds to beeswax in its physical
properties.
2. If the saponification figures fall below 92 and yet the ratio is correct,
it is adulterated with some neutral substance like paraffine.
3. If the ratio is above 3.8, it is very probable that Japanese or carnauba
wax or grease has been added.
4. If the ratio falls below 3.6, stearic acid or resin has been used as the
adulterant.
* * * * *

PHENOL IN THE STEM, LEAVES, AND CONES OF PINUS
SYLVESTRIS.
A DISCOVERY BEARING ON THE FLORA OF THE
CARBONIFEROUS EPOCH AND THE FORMATION OF
PETROLEUM.

By A.B. GRIFFITHS, Ph.D., F.C.S. Membre de la Societe Chimique
de Paris, Medallist in Chemistry and Botany, etc.
Having found, in small quantities, alcohols of the C_{n}H_{2n-7}
series, last summer, in the stem, acicular leaves, and cones of Pinus
sylvestris, I wish in this paper to say a few words on the subject.
First of all, I took a number of cones, cut them up into