Paraffin Wax - Overview
Paraffin wax is a mineral wax derived from petroleum, made from de-oiled slack wax, which is derived by de-waxing base distillate lube oil streams of mainly straight chain alkanes. It is a white or colorless soft, solid wax, with a typical melting point between about 47 °C and 64 °C (117°F to 147°F), begin to enter the liquid phase past approximately 37°C. Paraffin wax is brittle, and having a density of around 0.9 g/cm3. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in ether, benzene, and certain esters. Paraffin is unaffected by most common chemical reagents, but burns readily.