Wax
Chemically, the wax is a Ester of the ethylene glycol and two fatty-acids or a monoester of Fatty-acid and alcohol to long chains. The term of wax has a long time refers to the Beeswax, substance secreted by the Abeille S to build the rays of their Ruche.
More generally, a wax is a substance whose properties are similar to those of the Beeswax. These properties are:
- the Plasticity: a wax is malleable with room temperature
- a Point melting higher than 45° C (what differentiates waxes from the Graisse S and the Huile S)
- weak a Viscosité when it is molten (with the difference of much of plastic)
- the hydrophobia: a wax is insoluble in the Eau
The wax is a body chemically very stable and its properties hardly vary in time.
There exist natural waxes and artificial waxes. The solid Paraffin and the microcrystalline wax are mineral waxes resulting from the Pétrole. The waxes of Silicone are products of synthesis. Until the international prohibition of hunting for the whale, the spermaceti of whale (or spermaceti) constituted for the industry of the cosmetics, a major source of waxes. One can indeed extract from the spermaceti of whale an ester saturated made up with palmitic acid and cetyl alcohol (C16H33OH). At the plants, one finds waxes on the sheets of the Brazilian palm tree, carnauba, and in the bark of orange. However, the privileged source of vegetable wax is the Jojoba ( Simmondsia chinensis ) and more particularly the oil of its seeds. The waxes which one extracts from the Jojoba are esters of monoinsaturés alcohols and fatty-acids monoinsaturés. The length of the carbonaceous chain of these esters can vary from 34 to 46 carbons but is mainly (50,7%, mass/mass) of 42 carbons. One identified, at the bacillus of tuberculosis ( Mycobacterium tuberculosis ), of waxes made up of a saturated dialcohol with very long chain (C36) ramified by groupings méthoxy, the phtiocérol.
Use
The wax is traditionally at the base of the Bougie S.
The wax is used for manufacture of many Cosmétique S (creams, Cérat S, Crayon S, lipsticks, etc). It is used as thickener, of Excipient, it smoothes and softens the Peau by forming a protective film which delays the evaporation of water and thus the loss of moisture of the skin.
It is used to coat with candies in their giving a brilliant aspect.
The wax can be moulded and carved to create headstocks or statues (there exists several specialized museums in the wax representations).
One calls wax of the maintenance products of wood, in this case they will be often mixtures of refined waxes more or moin (one will note the basic mixture: ozékérite, beeswax, carnauba) often this same mixture will be diluted in Spirits of turpentine and will bear the name of Encaustique. the name wax means also maintenance products for the shoes.
For a long time, the letters were sealed by wax seals.
Into the field of slips, the wax is used to wax the boards with snow, the skis but also the boards of Surf. This variety of wax is often indicated in French by the English term " wax ".
One finds waxes in the manufacture of certain inks (inter alia those intended for papers " carbone").
One uses it in cabinet work for the stopping of cracks or holes. Pigments or dyes are then added to waxes to give all the colors necessary.
Symbolic system
The Noces of wax symbolize the 4 years of Mariage in the French folklore.
See too
Related articles
- Beeswax
- Wax of carnauba
Simple: Wax