Desired Properties of Waxes and Paraffins

The characteristic properties of waxes and paraffins can be grouped in three classes 

Independently of crystallization properties, it is useful to characterize the behavior of a product with respect to the following criteria  

The mechanical properties of waxes and solid paraffins are of considerable importance for most applications and numerous tests have been developed for characterizing the hardness, the brittleness, and resistance to rupture. 

The most widespread test is the penetration of a needle or cone. 

These properties concern paraffins that are part of food packaging materials. Their potential toxicity could be attributable to aromatic residues. The latter are thereby characterized directly or indirectly by  

---