Carnauba wax

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Carnauba wax

Carnauba is a wax

Wax

Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by bees and used by them in constructing their honeycombs.It is an imprecisely defined term generally understood to be a substance with properties similar to beeswax, namely...
derived from the leaves of the carnauba palm, Copernicia prunifera, a plant native to and grown only in the northeastern Brazilian

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
states of Piauí

Piauí

Piau? is one of the States of Brazil of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piau? has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland....
, Ceará

Ceará

Cear? is one of the 26 States of Brazil of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean coast. This land of the sun is one of the main tourist destinations of Brazil and has attractions for all tastes....
, and Rio Grande do Norte

Rio Grande do Norte

Rio Grande do Norte is one of the States of Brazil of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the edge of the South American continent....
. It is known as "queen of waxes" and usually comes in the form of hard yellow-brown flakes. It is obtained from the leaves of the carnauba palm by collecting them, beating them to loosen the wax, then refining and bleaching the wax.

auba wax contains mainly ester

Ester

An ester is an often Aroma compound organic chemistry or partially organic compound formed by the reaction between an acid and an alcohol or aromatic alcohol with the elimination of water....
s of fatty acid

Fatty acid

In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid often with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturation or Unsaturated compound....
s (80-85%), fatty alcohol

Fatty alcohol

Fatty alcohols are aliphatic alcohols derived from natural fats and oils, originating in plants, but also synthesized in animals and algae. Their significance in nutrition and health has historically been overlooked, and is only now being realized, as they are closely related to fatty acids, including the well-documented omega 3 fatty acids....
s (10-16%), acids (3-6%) and hydrocarbon

Hydrocarbon

In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. With relation to chemical terminology, aromatic hydrocarbons or arenes, alkanes, alkenes and alkyne-based compounds composed entirely of carbon or hydrogen are referred to as "pure" hydrocarbons, whereas other hydrocarbons with bonded com...
s (1-3%).

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Encyclopedia

Carnauba is a wax

Wax

Brazil

Piauí

Ceará

Rio Grande do Norte

Composition

Carnauba wax contains mainly ester

Ester

Fatty acid

Fatty alcohol

Hydrocarbon

Diol

A diol or glycol is a chemical compound containing two hydroxyl groups Vicinal diols have hydroxyl groups attached to adjacent atoms. Examples of vicinal diol compounds are ethylene glycol and propylene glycol....
s (about 20%), hydroxylated fatty acid

Fatty acid

Cinnamic acid

Cinnamic acid has the formula C6H5CHCHCOOH and is a white crystalline acid, which is slightly soluble in water. It has a melting point of 133?C and a boiling point of 300?C....
(about 10%). Cinnamic acid, an antioxidant

Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the Redox of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent....
, may be hydroxylated or methoxylated.

Uses

Carnauba wax can produce a glossy finish and as such is used in automobile

Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
waxes, shoe polish

Shoe polish

Shoe polish , usually a waxy paste or a cream , is a consumer product used to polishing, waterproofing, and restore the appearance of leather shoes or boots, thereby extending the footwear's life....
es, food products such as candy corn

Candy corn

Candy corn is a confectionery popular in the United States, particularly around Halloween. Created in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Co., the three colors of the candy are meant to mimic corn....
, instrument polishes

Polishing

Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or using a chemical action, leaving a surface with significant specular reflection and minimal diffuse reflection....
, and floor and furniture waxes and polishes

Polishing

Beeswax

Turpentine

Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-Pinene and beta-Pinene....
. It is used as a coating on dental floss

Dental floss

Dental floss is either a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic ribbon used to remove food and dental plaque from teeth. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and scraped along the teeth sides, especially close to the Gingiva....
. Use for paper coatings is the most common application in the United States. It is the main ingredient in surfboard wax

Surfboard wax

Surfboard wax is a formulation of natural and synthetic wax for application to the deck of a surfboard, bodyboard, or skimboard, to keep the surfer from slipping off the board when paddling out or riding a wave....
, combined with coconut oil

Coconut oil

Coconut oil, also known as coconut butter, is a tropical oil with many applications. It is extracted from copra . Coconut oil constitutes seven percent of the total export income of the Philippines, the world's largest exporter of the product....
.

Because of its hypoallergenic

Hypoallergenic

Hypoallergenic is a term coined by advertisers and first used in a cosmetics campaign in 1953. It is used to describe items that cause or are claimed to cause fewer allergy reactions....
and emollient

Emollient

Emollients are substances that soften and soothe the skin. They are used to correct dryness and scaling of the skin. They are a key component in the manufacture of lipstick, lotions, and other cosmetic products....
properties as well as its shine, carnauba wax appears as an ingredient in many cosmetics

Cosmetics

Cosmetics are substances used to enhance or protect the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care Cream , lotions, Powder , perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and gels, deodorants, baby products, bath oils, bubb...
formulas where it is used to thicken lipstick, eyeliner, mascara

Mascara

Mascara is a Cosmetics used to darken, lighten or colour lashes, also it can be used to thicken, lengthen and define eyelashes. Mascara comes in three forms: liquid, cake, and cream....
, eye shadow, foundation, deodorant, various skin care preparations, sun care preparations, etc.

It is the finish of choice for most briar tobacco or smoking pipes

Smoking pipe

A smoking pipe for tobacco smoking typically consists of a small chamber for the combustion of the tobacco to be smoked and a thin stem that ends in a mouthpiece ....
. It produces a high gloss finish when buffed on to wood. This finish dulls with time rather than flaking off (as is the case with most other finishes used.)

In food

Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
s, it is used as a formulation aid, lubricant, release agent, anticaking agent, and surface finishing agent in baked foods and mixes, chewing gum

Chewing gum

Chewing gum is a type of confection traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber. For reasons of economy and quality, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle....
, confections, frostings

Icing (food)

Icing, also called frosting, is a sweet Glaze made of sugar that often also contains butter, water, egg whites, milk, or flavorings and is used to cover or cake decorating baked goods, such as cakes or cookies....
, fresh fruits and juices, gravies, sauces, processed fruits and juices, soft candy

Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added....
, Tic Tacs and Altoids

Altoids

Altoids are a brand of breath mints that have existed since the turn of the 19th century. Altoids are less popular in United Kingdom?their country of origin?than in the regions to which they are exported....
.

Though too brittle to be used by itself, carnauba wax is often combined with other waxes (principally beeswax

Beeswax

Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the Beehive of honey bees of the genus Apis. Worker bees have eight wax-producing mirror glands on the inner sides of the sternites on abdominal segments 4 to 7....
) to treat and waterproof many leather products where it provides a high-gloss finish and increases leather's hardness and durability.

It is also used in the pharmaceutical industry as a tablet coating agent.

In 1890, Charles Tainter patented the use of carnauba wax on phonograph cylinder

Phonograph cylinder

The earliest method of Sound recording was on phonograph cylinders. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity , these cylinder shaped objects had an audio recording engraved on the outside surface which could be reproduced when the cylinder was played on a mechanical phonograph....
s as a replacement for a mixture of paraffin

Paraffin

In chemistry, paraffin is the common name for the alkane hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to the solids with n=20–40....
and beeswax

Beeswax

Silicone

Silicones are largely inert, man-made compounds with a wide variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant, nonstick, and rubberlike, they are commonly used in cookware, medicine, sealants, adhesives, lubricants, and insulation....
or PTFE

Polytetrafluoroethylene

In chemistry, poly or poly is a synthetic fluoropolymer which finds numerous applications. PTFE is most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon....
, is suitable for use with liquid epoxy, epoxy

Epoxy

In chemistry, epoxy or polyepoxide is a thermosetting epoxide polymer that cures when mixed with a catalyst agent or hardener. Most common epoxy resins are produced from a reaction between epichlorohydrin and bisphenol-A....
molding compounds (EMC) and some other plastic types. Carnauba wax is compatible with epoxies and generally enhances its properties along with those of most other engineering plastics.

An aerosol mold release is formed by suspending carnauba wax in a solvent. This aerosol version is used extensively in molds for semiconductor devices. Semiconductor manufacturers also use chunks of carnauba wax to break in new epoxy molds or to release the plunger when it sticks.

Carnauba is used in melt/castable explosives to produce an insensitive explosive formula such as Composition B

Composition B

Composition B is an explosive consisting of castable mixtures of RDX and Trinitrotoluene.It is used as the main explosive filling in artillery shell s, rockets, land mines, hand grenades and various other munitions....
, which is a blend of RDX

RDX

Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, also known as RDX, cyclonite, hexogen, and T4, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications....
and TNT

Trinitrotoluene

Trinitrotoluene , or more specifically, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H23CH3....
.

Technical characteristics

INCI name
INCI

The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, abbreviated INCI, is a system of names for waxes, oils, pigments, chemicals, and other ingredients of soaps, cosmetics, and the like, based on scientific names and other Latin and English language words....
is Copernicia Cerifera (carnauba) wax
E Number
E number

E numbers are number codes for food additives and are usually found on food labels throughout the European Union. The numbering scheme follows that of the International Numbering System as determined by the Codex Alimentarius committee....
is E903.
Melting point: 82-86°C (180-187°F), among the highest of natural waxes.
Relative density is about 0.97
It is among the hardest of natural waxes, being harder than concrete in its pure form.
It is practically insoluble in water, soluble on heating in ethyl acetate
Ethyl acetate

Ethyl acetate is the organic compound with the formula CH3COOCH2CH3. This colorless liquid has a characteristic sweet smell like certain glues or nail polish removers, in which it is used....
and in xylene
Xylene

The term xylene or xylol refers to a mixture of three aromatic hydrocarbon isomers which is used as a solvent in the printing, rubber, and leather industries....
, practically insoluble in ethyl alcohol.

External links

- from the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden
Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden

The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden is a small 3 ha botanical garden located on the south-eastern corner of the University of California, Los Angeles, California campus, California, United States....
- Custom Manufacturer of Carnauba compounds
- from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization