Waxy substance found in the head cavities of sperm whales
Left to right: A sample of solid raw spermaceti, a spermaceti wax candle and a bottle of sperm oil.
Spermaceti/spɜːməˈsiːti/ is a waxy substance found in the head cavities of the sperm whale (and, in smaller quantities, in the oils of other whales). Spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head. This organ may contain as much as 1,900 litres (500 US gal) of spermaceti.[1] It has been extracted by whalers since the 17th century for human use in cosmetics, textiles, and candles.
Theories for the spermaceti organ's biological function suggest that it may control buoyancy, act as a focusing apparatus for the whale's sense of echolocation, or possibly both. Concrete evidence supports both theories.[2] The buoyancy theory holds that the sperm whale is capable of heating the spermaceti, lowering its density and thus allowing the whale to float; for the whale to sink again, it must take water into its blowhole, which cools the spermaceti into a denser solid. This claim has been called into question by recent research that indicates a lack of biological structures to support this heat exchange, and the fact that the change in density is too small to be meaningful until the organ grows to a huge size.[3] Measurement of the proportion of wax esters retained by a harvested sperm whale accurately described the age and future life expectancy of a given individual. The level of wax esters in the spermaceti organ increases with the age of the whale: 38–51% in calves, 58–87% in adult females, and 71–94% in adult males.[4]
Spermaceti wax is extracted from sperm oil by crystallisation at 6 °C (43 °F), 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.
The whaling industry in the 17th and 18th centuries was developed to find, harvest, and refine the contents of the head of a sperm whale. The crews seeking spermaceti routinely left on three-year tours on several oceans. Cetaceous lamp oil was a commodity that created many maritime fortunes. The light produced by a single pure spermaceti source (candle) became the standard measurement of "candlepower" for another century. Candlepower, a photometric unit defined in the United Kingdom Act of Parliament Metropolitan Gas Act 1860 and adopted at the International Electrotechnical Conference of 1883, was based on the light produced by a pure spermaceti candle.
^Norris, K. S.; Harvey, G. W. (January 1972). "A Theory for the Function of the Spermaceti Organ of the Sperm Whale (Physeter Catodon L.)" (PDF). Nasa, Washington Animal Orientation and Navigation. 262: 397. Bibcode:1972NASSP.262..397N.
^Clarke, Malcom (1978). "Buoyancy Control as a Function of the Spermaceti Organ in the Sperm Whale". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: 63–64. Retrieved 21 Apr 2024 – via Cambridge Core.
^Whitehead, Hal (2003-08-15). Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean. ISBN 9780226895185.
^Cite error: The named reference EncyclopediaMarineMammals1164 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
whales). Spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head. This organ may contain as much as 1,900 litres (500 US gal) of spermaceti. It...
The spermaceti organ is an organ present in the heads of toothed whales of the family Physeteroidea, in particular the sperm whale. This organ contains...
filled with a waxy substance called "spermaceti" (sperm oil), from which the whale derives its name. Spermaceti was a prime target of the whaling industry...
not current) Rust-Oleum.[citation needed] A spermaceti press Strained sperm oil being bottled A spermaceti wax candle Sperm whales celebrate the discovery...
whales by the basin on the skull spanning the length of the snout. The spermaceti organ contained in that basin is thought to have been used in echolocation...
the melon, separated by a thin membrane, is the spermaceti organ. Both the melon and the spermaceti organ are encased in a thick fibrous coat, resembling...
part of a waxy liquid called spermaceti, from which the whale got its common name. The liquid was removed from the spermaceti organ at sea, and stored separately...
prized blubber and spermaceti had been extracted from the whale, the remaining majority of the carcass was discarded. Spermaceti oil came solely from...
its use was banned in the US in 1980. It is a long-running myth that spermaceti from whales has still been used in NASA projects such as the Hubble Space...
and beeswax in Europe from the Roman period until the modern era, when spermaceti (from sperm whales) was used in the 18th and 19th centuries, and purified...
ester of triacontanol and palmitic acid. Its melting point is 62–65 °C. Spermaceti occurs in large amounts in the head oil of the sperm whale. One of its...
literally denoting a white viscous mass, as in ناطف الحوت nāṭif al-ḥūt, 'spermaceti'. Source: "ترجمة ومعنى كلمة ناطف" [Translation and meaning of the word...
palmitic acid. The cetyl ester of palmitic acid, cetyl palmitate, occurs in spermaceti. Palmitic acid is the first fatty acid produced during fatty acid synthesis...
produced by a pure spermaceti candle that weighs 1⁄6 pound (76 grams) and burns at a rate of 120 grains per hour (7.8 grams per hour). Spermaceti is a material...
fortune tellers, bricklayers, and porters. In the 18th and 19th centuries, spermaceti, a waxy substance produced by the sperm whale, was used to produce a superior...
and 1-hexadecanol. This white waxy solid is the primary constituent of spermaceti, the once highly prized wax found in the skull of sperm whales. Cetyl...
standard: candlepower. One candlepower was the light produced by a pure spermaceti candle weighing one sixth of a pound and burning at a rate of 120 grains...
non-toxic opaque wax (such as paraffin, beeswax, ceresin, carnauba or spermaceti wax) that is similar to a crayon but stronger.[citation needed] Marks...
using two or three try-pots set in a brick furnace called the tryworks. Spermaceti was especially valuable, and as sperm whaling voyages were several years...
as being a minor component of many other animal fats. It is found in spermaceti, the crystallized fraction of oil from the sperm whale. It is also found...
the lower jaw, a lopsided blowhole leaning towards the left side, and a spermaceti organ. He named it Physeter (Euphysetes) simus, the same genus as the...
down the fat of dog-fish." Oleochemistry Rendering (animal products) Spermaceti Sperm whaling Ed Butts (October 4, 2019). "The cautionary tale of whale...
discovered in 1817 by the French chemist Michel Chevreul when he heated spermaceti, a waxy substance obtained from sperm whale oil, with caustic potash (potassium...
glycerol's –OH groups. Other alcohols, such as cetyl alcohol (predominant in spermaceti), may replace glycerol. In the phospholipids, one of the fatty acids is...
sperm whale is filled with a waxy liquid called spermaceti. This liquid can be refined into spermaceti wax and sperm oil. These were much sought after...
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