Castor oil (castor is Latin for beaver—before it was discovered in plants, castor oil was extracted from beavers' groins ) is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean (technically castor seed as the castor plant, Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae), is not a member of the bean family). Castor oil is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with mild or no odor or taste. Its boiling point is 313 °C (595 °F) and its density is 961 kg/m3. It is a triglyceride in which approximately 90 percent of fatty acid chains are ricinoleic acid. Oleic and linoleic acids are the other significant components.
Read more about Castor Oil: Background, Castor Oil Fatty Acids, Use As A Means of Intimidation in Fascist Italy and Spain
Famous quotes containing the word oil:
“His education lay like a film of white oil on the black lake of his barbarian consciousness. For this reason, the things he said were hardly interesting at all. Only what he was.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)