SPERM OIL

pale yellow liquid wax obtained with spermaceti (q.v.) from the head cavities and blubber of the sperm whale, used formerly as a fuel for lamps but now chiefly as a lubricant. The fluid-filled spermaceti organ, occupying a volume as large as 500 gallons (1,900 l), in the head of the whale is believed to act either as a cushion to protect the whale's vital organs from the water pressures of the ocean depths, or as part of the animal's sonar. The organ is cooked with the blubber to produce crude sperm oil, from which spermaceti, a wax, is removed. Upon being treated with sulfur, crude sperm oil provides lubricants that are resistant to extreme pressures. The oil can also be hardened to make textile sizes and wax compositions. Saponification yields fatty acids for soap manufacture and fatty alcohols for cosmetics and detergents. Refined sperm oil, after removal of spermaceti, is used for lubricating high-speed machinery and precision instruments and for textile lubrication.