Glycerol

Glycerol (glyc-er-ol) is an organic compound, also called glycerin or glycerine. It is a colorless, odorless, gluey liquid that is found in pharmaceutical formulations. Glycerol has three hydrophilic hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hydroscopic nature. The glycerol structure is a central component of many lipids. Glycerol is sweet-tasting and low toxicity. The syrupy, sweet, colorless, or yellowish liquid, C3H8O3, obtained from fats and oils as a byproduct of saponification and used as a solvent, an antifreeze, a plasticizer and a sweetener and in the manufacture of dynamite, cosmetics, liquids, soaps, inks, and lubricants. Glycerol is not poisonous to humans. According to a deceased doctor, Dr. Alfredo Salafia, he discovered a chemical that preserved a body for over 85 years and to this day still looks the same. The formula apparently consisted of formalin to kill bacteria, alcohol to dry the body, glycerin to keep the body from overdrying, salicylic acid to kill fungi, and the most important ingredient, zinc salts to give the body firmness.  What I found most interesting about this term was that it is used in daily eating foods. Glycerol is not only found in the foods that we eat, but it is also found in things that we use every day, such as toothpaste, soft contact lenses, cotton, etc. The only thing that I do not understand about this term is exactly how it is used in embalming.