Chemistry
The composition and chemical properties of whale oil vary slightly depending on the species of whale it was sourced from and by what method it was processed. Broadly speaking, the oils were sold either as "whale oil" or "sperm oil". Whale oil is mostly fatty acids, whereas sperm oil is mostly liquid wax.
Read more about this topic: Whale Oil
Famous quotes containing the word chemistry:
“If thought makes free, so does the moral sentiment. The mixtures of spiritual chemistry refuse to be analyzed.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“...some sort of false logic has crept into our schools, for the people whom I have seen doing housework or cooking know nothing of botany or chemistry, and the people who know botany and chemistry do not cook or sweep. The conclusion seems to be, if one knows chemistry she must not cook or do housework.”
—Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (1842–1911)