Paraffin wax

Paraffin wax (or petroleum wax) is a soft colorless solid derived from <a href="/facts/Petroleum/IQV0bHVd">petroleum</a>, <a href="/facts/Coal/83kV3qxg">coal</a>, or <a href="/facts/Oil_shale/WSREUH8t">oil shale</a> that consists of a mixture of <a href="/facts/Hydrocarbon/Dcg95Ju5">hydrocarbon</a> molecules containing between 20 and 40 carbon atoms. It is solid at room temperature and <a href="/facts/Melting_point/MY0w0h0k">begins to melt</a> above approximately 37 °C (99 °F), and its boiling point is above 370 °C (698 °F). Common applications for paraffin wax include <a href="/facts/Lubrication/6tHKQVqy">lubrication</a>, <a href="/facts/Electrical_insulation/SfSXkrh5">electrical insulation</a>, and <a href="/facts/Candles/3d0EwvR6">candles</a>; dyed paraffin wax can be made into <a href="/facts/Crayon/cL0YvH8t">crayons</a>.
Un-dyed, unscented paraffin candles are odorless and bluish-white. Paraffin wax was first created by <a href="/facts/Carl_Reichenbach/81kjTvcL">Carl Reichenbach</a> in Germany in 1830 and marked a major advancement in candlemaking technology, as it burned more cleanly and reliably than <a href="/facts/Tallow/JNWsebPc">tallow</a> candles and was cheaper to produce.
In chemistry, paraffin is used synonymously with <a href="/facts/Alkane/Qam7Hvmf">alkane</a>, indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. The name is derived from <a href="/facts/Latin/pM3Kge85">Latin</a> parum ("very little") + affinis, meaning "lacking <a href="/facts/Electron_affinity/1mf4A396">affinity</a>" or "lacking <a href="/facts/Reactivity_(chemistry)/PuJ2pmRT">reactivity</a>", referring to paraffin's unreactive nature.

Paraffin wax open-in-new

Paraffin wax