[Diamond]

Thanks, general for your kind words. While I cope with all this stuff, I would like the back of my mind to work on the problem. Without giving away any historical information, can you give me some indication of the size of the object (is it a magnified picture?) and some of it's physical/chemical properties?

Cordially,

[general_re]

Indeed I can. The smaller version on the thread is approximately 1.5x magnification, and the larger version is approximately 5x magnification. As for the composition, I was afraid you would ask that - it's a regular witches brew ;)

Here's a brief (paraphrased) description of its qualities and major constituent compounds:

Consistency: soft to brittle
Specific gravity: 0.95
Melting point: ~140° F (60° C)
Main constituent compounds:

CH₃(CH₂)₂₄COOH
CH₃(CH₂)₁₄COO(CH₂)₁₂CH₃
CH₃(CH₂)₂₉OH
CH₃(CH₂)₂₉CH₃

...plus a host of minor compounds. Insoluble in water, soluble in CCl₄, CHCl₃, and (warm) diethyl ether.

As always, feel free to request assistance from anyone you like - especially if the chemistry of the composition seems a bit forbidding ;)