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.
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