Everything about Wax totally explained
Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that's secreted by
bees (
beeswax) and used by them in constructing their
honeycombs.
It is an imprecisely defined term generally understood to be a substance with properties similar to
beeswax, namely
Waxes may be natural secretions of plants or animals, artificially produced by purification from natural petroleum or completely synthetic. In addition to
beeswax,
carnauba (a plant
epicuticular wax) and
paraffin (a petroleum wax) are commonly encountered waxes which occur naturally.
Earwax is an oily substance found in the human
ear. Some artificial materials such as silicone wax that exhibit similar properties are also described as wax or waxy.
Wax chemistry
Chemically, a wax is a type of
lipid that may contain a wide variety of long-chain
alkanes,
esters,
polyesters and hydroxy esters of long-chain
primary alcohols and
fatty acids. They are usually distinguished from
fats by the lack of
triglyceride esters of
glycerin (propan-1,2,3-triol) and three fatty acids. In addition to the esters that contribute to the high melting point and hardness of carnauba wax, the
epicuticular waxes of plants are mixtures of substituted long-chain
aliphatic hydrocarbons, containing
alkanes, fatty acids, primary and
secondary alcohols,
diols,
ketones,
aldehydes. Paraffin waxes are
hydrocarbons, mixtures of
alkanes usually in a
homologous series of chain lengths.
Uses of wax
Waxes are used to impregnate and coat paper and card, to waterproof it or make it resistant to staining, or to modify its surface properties. Waxes are also used in
wax polishes for furniture and other
wood products,
footwear and vehicles, as mould release agents in
mould making, as a coating for
Edam and
Gouda cheeses, and to waterproof leather and fabric. Wax has been used since antiquity as a temporary, removable model in
lost-wax casting of
gold,
silver and other materials. Waxes and hard fats such as
tallow have long been use to make
candles, used for lighting and decoration in a number of religious traditions, including Christianity and Hinduism.
Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights which centers on the lighting of candles, dates back to 165
BCE. There are several Biblical references to candles, and the Emperor Constantine is reported to have called for the use of candles during an Easter service in the 4th century CE. Candles continue to be used to by Christians in worship as symbols of the light of Christ. Candles have also played a role in paganism, in Wiccan ceremonies, and in modern humanist festivals.
Wax candles were also used in
secular life for lighting, signals in warfare, safety in travel and for time keeping, and are still in popular use today to provide soft lighting for meals and other social activities.
Wax with coloured pigments added has been used as a medium in
encaustic painting, and is used today in the manufacture of
crayons and coloured
pencils.
Carbon paper, used for making duplicate
typewritten documents was coated with
carbon black suspended in wax, typically
montan wax, but has largely been superseded by
photocopiers and
computer printers. In another context,
lipstick and
mascara are blends of various fats and waxes coloured with pigments, and both
beeswax and
lanolin are used in other
cosmetics. Also, the sports of
skiing,
snowboarding and
skateboarding often use wax to enhance the performance. See
Mojo wax.
Wax types
Animal waxes
Beeswax - produced by honey bees
Chinese wax - produced by the scale insect Ceroplastes ceriferus
Shellac wax - from the lac insect Kerria lacca
Spermaceti - from the head cavities and blubber of the sperm whale
Lanolin (wool wax) - from the sebaceous glands of sheep
Ear wax - found in the human ear.
Vegetable waxes
Bayberry wax - from the surface of the berries of the bayberry shrub, Myrica faya
Candelilla wax - from the Mexican shrubs Euphorbia cerifera and E. antisyphilitica
Carnauba wax - from the leaves of the Carnauba palm, Copernica cerifera
Castor wax - catalytically hydrogenated castor oil
Esparto wax - a byproduct of making paper from esparto grass, (Macrochloa tenacissima)
Japan wax - a vegetable triglyceride (not a true wax), from the berries of Rhus and Toxicodendron species
Jojoba oil - a replacement for spermaceti, jojoba is pressed from the seeds of the jojoba bush, Simmondsia chinensis
Ouricury wax - from the Brazilian Feather palm, Syagrus coronata.
Rice bran wax - obtained from rice bran (Oryza sativa)
Soy wax - from soybean oil.
Mineral waxes
Ceresin waxes
Montan wax - extracted from lignite and brown coal
Ozocerite - found in lignite beds
Peat waxes
Petroleum waxes
Paraffin wax - made of long-chain alkane hydrocarbons
Microcrystalline wax - with very fine crystalline structure
Synthetic waxes
Polyethylene waxes - based on polyethylene
Fischer-Tropsch waxes
Chemically modified waxes - usually esterified or saponified
substituted amide waxes
polymerized α-olefins
References
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wax'.
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