Talk:Paraffin

What is paraffin? and what is the density of paraffine wax??

I would like to know the maximum length of the alkane chain found in common paraffin, e.g. in paraffin candles. -- Leocat 14:22, 31 October 2006 (UTC) I believe 40 carbons' the max normally considered paraffin, though you'll probably find a bit of heavier impurities. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.96.7.25 (talk) 01:27, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

Where does paraffin occur in nature? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.212.118.150 (talk) 15:49, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

The term "paraffin oil"

I suggest that this article mention the various meanings of the term "paraffin oil". Apparently in the UK it refers to kerosine (US kerosene), but at least in the US it can also mean "An oil either pressed or dry-distilled from paraffin distillate. Liquid petrolatum is also known as paraffin oil. Combustible. ... Used as a floor treatment; lubricant; when purified, as medicine" [Gessner G. Hawley, Condensed Chemical Dictionary, 9th edn. New York-London, etc.: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1977.] -- User:Thomas.Hedden 10:15, 19 December 2006 (EST) On further reflection, I wonder whether the best term for this (at least in the US) is mineral oil (see the Wikipedia article on this). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thomas.Hedden (talk • contribs) 20:41, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

I have made the link to the Mineral oil article more obvious, with a {{Main|Mineral oil}} tag. Does this fix the problem? --Old Moonraker (talk) 21:24, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

The term "Mineral Oil" is not mentioned in the introduction but is featured as a section heading. There is already a more complete Mineral oil article. Why not reference that instead? I am also confused about Kerosene. The introduction of the Kerosene article contains a more understandable rundown on how these terms are used regionally and how they relate to one another. --Kvng (talk) 14:40, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

I also think the term "Mineral Oil" should be mentioned very soon after the start of the article. It;s good that it's a section heading, but it should also be mentioned in the introduction, among a short summary of the types of paraffin. 115.70.85.100 (talk) 02:46, 19 October 2009 (UTC)Judith

Mineral oil added to lead, next to octane. --Old Moonraker (talk) 08:55, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Is paraffin digestible?

(question asked by anon user at Wikipedia:Reference desk)

Is the wax they sell for canning and for adding to some candy recipies digestible or is it like fiber in that it just passes?

As long as it's food-grade paraffin wax, it's edible but not digestable. Which means it passes right through the body without being broken down. As long as you don't eat too much or swallow a large lump of it (might cause a blockage), it's safe to eat. As you say, it is used in some candies to make them look shiny. (Eating too much of it might cause olestra-like distress, though...) Note: non-food grade paraffin wax can contain oils and other impurities which may be toxic or harmful, so it should not be eaten. -- DrBob

It is ingestible but not digestible. --ManInStone 14:35, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Actually, I asked myself the same question. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, somebody is caught in a cave and eats all candles he can find by feeling around. It seems that couldn't really help him... Or maybe 19th century candles contained something digestible? -- dnjansen 18:25, 24 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Probably tallow. Rmhermen 18:35, Mar 24, 2004 (UTC)

Paraffin was not used in candles prior to 1850, before this they were either beeswax or tallow. Beeswax candles were expensive and only used by the rich. As the story was set in about 1841, they would not have had access to paraffin candles. Even after 1850, many poor people continued to use tallow candles as they could make them themselves instead of buying manufactured paraffin ones. -- 205.175.225.5 20:13, 13 July 2005 (UTC)

Manufacture

The article should explain more about where we get paraffin. I'm guessing it's the very high-molecular-weight fraction of crude petroleum, but I don't know; maybe it's made by reducing lower-molecular-weight hydrocarbons? Somebody who knows ... please add this info to the article.

ACW 02:39, 7 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I'd like to see the number of carbon atoms per chain in candle wax, parrafin oil, etc. added to this article. It would be most useful, does anyone know?

--TerrorBite 19:58, 25 Jan 2006 (AEST)

Paraffin wax price

Does anyone know where to get info on the paraffin wax price in relative to crude oil prices ??

Paraffin oil to stop Mosquito's breeding in a Water Tank.

I've been told to use Paraffin Oil (or kerosene) to stop mosquito's breeding in a water tank. http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ideas/diseases/mosbites.htm#tanks

Would Paraffin Oil, which I imagine I can get from a hardware store, be harmful. I'm thinking it would be better than Kerosean. Know any better ideas?

Is it likley I can buy 'food grade' Paraffin oil easily? Or could I just use another 'food-grade' oil like sunflower oil or somthing.

Thanks, Evolve2k

Density

What is the density of paraffin?
     At 20°C 900-910Kg m3

Why has the density of liquid paraffin not been mentioned? Waqqasd (talk) 13:39, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

• Probably the effects of cloaking by the somebody else's problem field--Old Moonraker (talk) 13:37, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

Making Paraffin wax

I'm on a mission to prove the show Mythbusters wrong and am on a personal quest to make some paraffin wax, which I will then mix with carbon to make it burn more evenly. Is any one commercially available form of paraffin wax more flammable than another. I am assuming that food grade paraffin is not the best choice for this project. I'll be using the paraffin wax, and an oxidizer to propel a Civil War Era rocket. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

~Josh

Waxes burn, albeit pretty slowly. Paraffin wax is just like any other wax, but it does burn very cleanly, as its mainly normal alkanes. Depending on the oxidizer your using, you may want to consider fully refined paraffin, or food grade, which is <1% oil content, or a slack wax, which is anywhere form ~4% - 40% oil. Doing searches on the websites of several major oil conglomerates may also help... such as Exxon Mobil, PetroCanada, or Hase Petroleum. IGI also deals in paraffin waxes. Hope this helps.

Food grade paraffin really burns the best? I'm probably using CO2 for my oxidizer, but depending on what I turn up, I may be using NO2, because I can fit a lot more NO2 into the canister, but I’m not sure how well it would work as an oxidizer (again, still checking). I'm going to mix carbon into the paraffin wax (and it has to be paraffin wax for the test), so it will burn better. Thanks for your help.

CO2 is not a good oxydizer (it can be reduced to CO, but I doubt if this reaction can be used to propel a rocket). NO2 is a strong oxydizer, but it is very poisonous, so you should be very careful (I recommend wearing a gas mask when dealing with NO2).

-- Leocat 14:22, 31 October 2006 (UTC)

What is the volumetric change ratio of paraffin as it changes from the solid to the liquid state?

I was wondering if anyone can tell me what the volumetric change ratio is when wax goes through a phase change from its solid to liquid state? Noctroglyph 21:18, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

About ten to twenty percent [1] --Old Moonraker 16:26, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Paraffin in Magic Shell?

Not according to the Smucker's website. Illinoisavonlady 16:35, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Units

I changed units to SI units. Plese use only SI units. Those British-Amerivan ubits are not good choice for international use.

Burning Temperature

I couldn't find this anywhere? Does anyone know what it is? Turgonml 16:54, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

The disks

I wonder what "the disks to be tested" refers to. Unfree (talk) 03:58, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Fixed: not clear at all. --Old Moonraker (talk) 07:16, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Mineral Oil as lamp oil

I had bought a small oil lamp. The instructions said to use 'liquid paraffin'. Either this article, or the one on mineral oil said that mineral oil is liquid paraffin. Having mineral oil handy, I tried it. It did not work well, either with the glass fiber wick which came with the lamp, or with a fiber wick. It burned, but the flame was very low. When I tried lamp oil, the lamp worked 'as advertised'. Dnorm (talk) 20:22, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

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Oil spillage cleaning.

Did the stuff mentioned here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBIH5LCmrmM

ever become a large scale option for cleaning up oil spills? Or did it fade away or prove to be more problematic than other methods? Just wondering if anyone knows.

--Hellahulla (talk) 19:05, 2 June 2010 (UTC)

Melting point of paraffin wax

The referenced range given in the text refers to waxes with different carbon numbers. Temperatures below the quoted range are found, but only in impure wax with an admixture of oil (from: Nasser, William E (1999). "Waxes, Natural and Synthetic". In McKetta, John J. Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design. 67. New York: Marcel Dekker. p. 17. ISBN 0-8247-2618-9. ) It's wrong to give a lower temperature, as this only applies to impure mixtures of wax and oil, and I've been reverting it. The explanation is now in the footnote. --Old Moonraker (talk) 06:25, 19 May 2011 (UTC)

Another reference work is not so dogmatic, allowing ≥36.4 °C. Added. --Old Moonraker (talk) 20:54, 9 January 2012 (UTC)