Wax
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- Wax is also the name of two english-language bands, one American and one British, and a Korean band.
Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by bees (beeswax) and used by them in constructing their honeycombs.
In modern terms, wax is an imprecisely defined term generally understood to be a substance with properties similar to beeswax, namely
- plastic (malleable) at normal ambient temperatures
- a melting point above approximately 45 °C (which differentiates waxes from fats and oils)
- a relatively low viscosity when melted (unlike many plastics)
- insoluble in water
- hydrophobic
Waxes may be natural or artificial. In addition to beeswax, carnauba (a vegetable wax) and paraffin (a mineral wax) are commonly encountered waxes which occur naturally. Ear wax is a sticky substance found in the human ear. Some artificial materials that exhibit similar properties are also described as wax or waxy.
Chemically, a wax may be an ester of ethylene glycol (ethane 1,2-diol) and two fatty acids, as opposed to a fat which is an ester of glycerin (propane 1,2,3-triol) and three fatty acids. It is a type of lipid.
See also
- beeswax
- candles
- carnauba
- hair wax
- paraffin wax and paraffin
- SC Johnson Company
- sealing wax
- ski wax
- wax play
- waxing for hair removalde:Wachs
eo:Vakso fr:Cire it:Cera he:שעווה ja:蝋 pl:Wosk ru:Воск sv:Vax