Sperm oil
Sperm oil is a waxy liquid obtained from sperm whales. It is a clear, yellowish liquid with a very faint odor. Sperm oil has a different composition from common whale oil, obtained from rendered blubber. Although it is traditionally called an "oil", it is technically a liquid wax. 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. It is a natural antioxidant and heat-transfer agent. In the late-18th and early-19th centuries, sperm oil was prized as an illuminant for its bright, odorless flame and as a lubricant for its low viscosity and stability. It was supplanted in the late 19th century by less expensive alternatives such as kerosene and petroleum-based lubricants. With the 1987 international ban on whaling, sperm oil is no longer legally sold.

The oil from bottlenose whales was sometimes called "Arctic sperm oil". It was cheaper and inferior to true sperm oil.
Q81214
sperm whale
Concept
Q1053334
whale oil
Concept
Q885539
blubber
Concept
Q3010324
wax ester
UNK
Q186319
triglyceride
Concept
Q101487
ester
Concept
Q127980
unsaturated fatty acid
Concept
Q378871
fatty alcohol
Concept
Q133948
antioxidant
Concept
Q1056832
heat-transfer agent
Concept
Q323840
lubricant
Concept
Q128709
viscosity
Concept
Q76904
kerosene
Concept
Q22656
petroleum
Concept
Q949450
bottlenose whale
Concept
Q7576374
Sperm oil
Concept
Q7576374
Sperm oil
Concept
1987-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1987
DATE
-18^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
-18
NUMBER
-19^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
-19
NUMBER
+19^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
19
NUMBER
natural product of taxon
made from material