[32][33] It was the basis of the original (but not current) Rust-Oleum. In some cases it can be used for the treatment of burns and minor cuts. [22][23] Most of the carbon chains are unsaturated, with 18:1 being the most common. [30], Because of its very low freezing point, sperm oil saw widespread use in the aerospace industry.[31]. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. This caused sperm oil's price to collapse to a tenth of its previous value. Cosmetics based on synthesized spermaceti, usually designed for daily care. It is composed of wax esters with a small proportion of triglycerides, an ester of an unsaturated fatty acid and a branched-chain fatty alcohol. [20], Sperm oil was particularly prized as an illuminant in oil lamps, as it burned more brightly and cleanly than any other available oil and gave off no foul odor. Abraham G. Blakeley , Edmund A. Reilly (1917). In addition, spermaceti contains some free alcohols - octadecyl, cetyl, and eicosyl. [18], Spermaceti is a liquid wax, composed mostly of wax esters (chiefly cetyl palmitate) and a smaller proportion of triglycerides,[19] with oleic acid being the most common fatty acid. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. The hypotheses that the spermaceti organ is involved in buoyancy manipulation has been challenged by many authors, with the following points raised as problematic: the change in density that could be achieved by manipulation of spermaceti oil temperature would likely have a negligible impact on the animal’s overall buoyancy; the anatomical features that would be needed for heat exchange with the … The following year, the US Congress amended the Endangered Species Act, outlawing the killing of whales and the use of their oil. When spring came and the leftover solid matter melted a bit, the liquid was strained off and sold as "spring-strained sperm oil". 2, October 2006, "The Science of Synthetic Sperm Whale Oil"]. [2] Thus, the hypothesis that the spermaceti organ is an adaptation aiding in echolocation is generally the best accepted one. Raw spermaceti is liquid within the head of the sperm whale, and is said to have a smell similar to raw milk. Czesław Kajdas, S. S. K. Harvey, E. Wilusz (1990). http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2004/jun04/noaa04-r150.html, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19720017437.pdf. The whaling crew divided into two watches, worked six-hour shifts, day and night, until the job was finished. This liquid was bottled and sold as "winter-strained sperm oil". [5] A sperm whale may contain as much as 1,900 litres of this oil. Spermaceti substitutes containing cream is contraindicated to use under the existing hypersensitivity to the components included in the composition of cosmetic products. It is composed mostly of wax esters and a smaller proportion of triglycerides. In summer, the matter melted some more and the liquid was strained off to leave a fully solid wax. Cosmetics containing a synthetic spermaceti, special storage conditions require. The proliferation of mineral oils reduced the demand for their species' oil. This wax, brown in color, was then bleached and sold as "spermaceti wax". While scientists have not been able to confirm exactly what this waxy substance is used for one common theory is that the spermaceti oil produced by the spermaceti organ assists the whale with buoyancy and helps it dive and rise in the water more quickly, however recent research has devalued this theory due to the sperm whale appearing to have insufficient biological systems for adjusting its buoyancy through … [14] It retains its viscosity in high temperatures better than most oils. Sperm oil has a different composition from common whale oil, obtained from rendered blubber. [1] It is a natural antioxidant and heat-transfer agent. The high investment in this organ suggests that the organ must have adaptively advantageous functionality. [6], Learn how and when to remove this template message, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/559404/spermaceti-organ, "The nose of the sperm whale: overviews of functional design, structural homologies and evolution", https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19720017437.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spermaceti_organ&oldid=964877016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 June 2020, at 03:16. It worked well for fine, light machinery such as sewing machines and watches because it is thin, does not congeal or dry out and does not corrode metals. [26] Prior to 1972, over 30 million lb (14 million kg) of sperm whale oil was used annually in lubricants because of its exceptional lubricity and heat stability. [27] The loss of whale oil had a profound impact in the automotive industry,[28] where for example, transmission failures rose from under 1 million in 1972 to over 8 million by 1975. On land, the casks of head-matter were allowed to chill during the winter, causing it to congeal into a spongy and viscous mass.

The spermaceti organ is an organ that commonly appears in the heads of toothed whales of the family Physeteroidea, in particular the sperm whale. [16][17] It is fairly resistant to oxidization. Sperm oil was used to protect metals from rust.

Sperm oil is a waxy liquid obtained from sperm whales. With the 1987 international ban on whaling, sperm oil is no longer legally sold. This was the most valuable product: an oil that remained liquid in freezing winter temperatures. Shelf life depends on the manufacturer and usually ranges from 6 months to 3 years. It was supplanted in the late 19th century by less expensive alternatives such as kerosene and petroleum-based lubricants. [1] In the modern sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), the spermaceti organ is far larger in proportion to the animal’s body than what would be explained by simple allometry, and the evolution of the organ has caused changes in basal skull morphology, which may implicate tradeoffs were made that compromised the functionality of other nearby features. Geographical source: Physeter macrocephalus are naturally found in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans chiefly near the coasts of Mozambique, Zanzibar and Ceylon. The proportion 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. (1861 cartoon from Vanity Fair), [Transmission Digest, Volume 26, No. Enhancing the protective functions of the skin.