Wax facts

Wax (more precisely Beeswax) is a chemical substance. It is used by honeybees to build honeycombs. Beeswax (and other waxes) have the following properties:

  • They are soft, and easy to shape at room temperature
  • Their melting point is above 45 °C
  • They cannot be dissolved in water
  • They are hydrophobic, that is repelled by water.

Some waxes, like beeswax, carnauba (a vegetable wax), and paraffin (a petroleum wax) occur naturally. Another such wax is earwax, which occurs in the human ear. Other waxes may be manufactured.

Chemically, a wax may be an ester of ethylene glycol (ethan-1,2-diol) and two fatty acids. A fat is an ester of glycerin (propan-1,2,3-triol) and three fatty acids. A wax may also be a combination of other fatty alcohols with fatty acids. It is a type of lipid.

Images

  • MODOCeroline

    Ceroline brand wax for floors and furniture, first half of 20th century. From the Museo del Objeto del Objeto collection

  • Montana 10 bg 061905

    Wax candle.

  • CeciliaCheung MadameTussauds

    A typical modern wax sculpture of Cecilia Cheung at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

  • Velikonoční vajíčka malovaná voskem

    Wax-decorated Easter eggs as made in Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

  • Lavalampe

    A lava lamp is a novelty item that contains wax melted from below by a bulb. The wax rises and falls in decorative, molten blobs.

  • Cetyl palmitate

    Cetyl palmitate, a typical wax ester.

  • Beeswax foundation

    Commercial honeycomb foundation, made by pressing beeswax between patterned metal rollers.


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Wax Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.