PARAFFINE

A substance contained in the products of the distillation of the tar of beech wood. It is a tastele inodorous fatty matter, fusible at 112°, and resists the action of acids and alitalis. It appears to be a hydro-carbon. Its name is compounded of parum, little, and affinis, a/an, to denote the remarkable chemical indifference which is its characteristic feature. A similar substance has been obtained by Dr. Christ is on from the petroleum of Rangoon. [s. 898]