Wax Composition and Properties

The significant physical property distinguishing wax and oil is the pour point (pour point is defined as the lowest temperature at which a sample will flow see Chapter 2) wax has a high pour point compared to oil because wax molecules have many of the properties of n-paraffins and these have high melting points. Pour points of some common substances are provided in Table 9.1. 

Pour (Melting) Points of Some Common Materials 

Petroleum waxes Petroleum base stocks Antifreeze Engine oils 

The most easily identified and measurable components in wax are the n-paraffins, which extend up to about C45.7 Above C45 or thereabouts (about 1000°F), n-paraffin contents of heavy distillates or residues become quite small. The n-paraffin content decreases with increasing boiling point, and isoparaffins, cycloparaffins, 

Mass Spectrum Analyses of a Wax A and Some of Its Distillate Fractions 

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