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Whale oil was used as a cheap illuminant, though it gave off a strong odor when burnt and was not very popular. [20] It was replaced in the late 19th century by cheaper, more efficient, and longer-lasting kerosene. [21] Burning fluid and camphine were the dominant replacements for whale oil until the arrival of kerosene. [22]
Sperm oil. Sperm oil is a waxy liquid obtained from sperm whales. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. Sperm oil has a different composition from common whale oil, obtained from rendered blubber. Although it is traditionally called an "oil", it is technically a liquid wax. It is composed of wax esters with a small proportion ...
Spermaceti. Left to right: A sample of solid raw spermaceti, a spermaceti wax candle and a bottle of sperm oil. Spermacetispɜːməˈsiːti 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.
Ambergris (/ ˈæmbərɡriːs / or / ˈæmbərɡrɪs /; Latin: ambra grisea; Old French: ambre gris), ambergrease, or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. [1] Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor.
Cetyl alcohol was 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 hydroxide). Flakes of cetyl alcohol were left behind on cooling. [5] Modern production is based around the chemical reduction of ethyl palmitate. [6]
The spermaceti organ in sperm whales is shaped like an elongated barrel and sits on top of the whale's melon. Historically, the spermaceti oil found within it was used in a variety of products – including lamp oils, candles, and lubricants – providing the economic basis for the sperm whaling industry. [2]
Sperm whaling is the human practice of hunting sperm whales, the largest toothed whale and the deepest-diving marine mammal species, for the oil, meat and bone that can be extracted from the cetaceans' bodies. Sperm whales are prized for the sperm oil, a waxy secretion that was especially popular as a lubricant and illuminant during the ...
The oil of this whale was commercially known as "whale oil" and was of inferior grade to that of the sperm whale. During the middle 19th century, it was the principal prey of the whaling fleets of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, which operated largely in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean .