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:
“No skilled hands
caress a stranger’s flesh with lucid oil before
a word is spoken
no feasting
before a tale is told, before
the stranger tells his name.”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)