Grave Wax is the common term for which substance?

• A. Saponification
• B. Adipocere
• C. Tache Noir
• D. Cadaveric Spasm

Answer: (B)

Grave wax refers to adipocere, a waxy substance that forms from body fats during decomposition in moist, anaerobic conditions. When fats break down in damp, buried or submerged bodies, they can convert into a pale, wax-like mass—often aided by hydrogenation and the formation of fatty acid soaps with minerals in the soil. This adipocere layer can slow further decay and help preserve tissues to some extent. The other terms describe different postmortem changes: saponification is essentially soap-making from fats in the presence of alkali, not the waxy deposit seen in graves; tache noir is a dark discoloration of the cornea; and cadaveric spasm is the sudden, immediate stiffening of muscles at death.