Is wax some sort of cellulose compound, or a type of organic plastic? Exactly what IS wax?
2006-10-21 11:23:50 · 4 answers · asked by Bastet's kitten 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Your basic wax is an aliphatic hydrocarbon of high molecular weight (around 18 carbons). Depending on the source of the wax, other constituents may be present. "Aliphatic" means that the carbon atoms are more or less in a straight chain, each with two hydrogens attached except the ones at the ends, where there are three. Various complications are possible, such as double bonds and side chain branches.
2006-10-21 11:36:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Waxes may be natural or artificial. In addition to beeswax, carnauba (a vegetable wax) and paraffin (a mineral wax) are commonly encountered waxes which occur naturally. Earwax is an oily substance found in the human ear. Some artificial materials that exhibit similar properties are also described as wax or waxy.
Chemically, a wax may be an ester of ethylene glycol (ethan-1,2-diol) and two fatty acids, as opposed to a fat which is an ester of glycerin (propan-1,2,3-triol) and three fatty acids. It may also be a combination of other fatty alcohols with fatty acids. It is a type of lipid.
(source: wikipedia)
2006-10-21 11:32:10 · answer #2 · answered by ideaquest 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Waxes are a type of lipid, but are not precisely defined. Check out the web page below.
2006-10-21 11:31:25 · answer #3 · answered by Geoffrey S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Originally it comes from bees, its what candles are made of.
It can also be some kind of paraffin.
2006-10-21 11:32:18 · answer #4 · answered by Chri R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋