MARINE RESERVOIR EFFECT OF SPERMACETI, A WAX OBTAINED FROM THE HEAD OF THE SPERM WHALE: A FIRST ESTIMATION FROM MUSEUM SPECIMENS

Spermaceti is a waxy substance found in the head cavities of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus and P. catodon). This substance had a variety of commercial applications from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century, such as candles, soap, cosmetics and other compounds. Spermaceti was also occasionally used as wax for modeling sculptures. In order to date such artworks the marine reservoir effect (MRE) has to be considered. The chemical library of the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris, France) contains samples of spermaceti studied by the French chemist M. E. Chevreul (1786-1889) at the beginning of the 19th century. Eight samples of substances preserved in their original containers were C-14 dated. According to the whaling practices and the publications of Chevreul, we estimated that the spermaceti samples came from whales caught between 1805 and 1815. AMS C-14 dating results are from 550 to 1180 +/- 30 BP, R values between 393 and 1023 (+/- 34) C-14 yr and Delta R between -168 and 504 (+/- 60) C-14 yr. The values presented here are the first ever obtained for spermaceti. However, being based on museum specimens, further measurements on crude material would be necessary to refine these results.

Automated summary

Spermaceti, a waxy substance found in the head of sperm whales, had various commercial applications in the past. By using C-14 dating on samples preserved in the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris, researchers estimated the age of spermaceti samples to be between 1805 and 1815. These results, the first ever obtained for spermaceti, will require further measurements on crude material for better accuracy.