Castor wax

Castor wax, partially hydrogenated castor oil, also called, is a hard, brittle vegetable wax.

Properties

In the chemical sense is castor wax, a triglyceride and no wax is a fatty acid ester of a fatty alcohol. Depending on the hydrogenation degree, it has a wide melting point range, which ranges from 60 to 85 ° C. The acid number ranges from 2 to 4, the hydroxyl number is 150, the saponification number of 175 to 185 and the iodine number of about 4, the molar mass of the fully hydrogenated oil is 938 g / mol.

Production

Castorwax is prepared by hydrogenation of castor oil with hydrogen over Raney nickel. Only the double bond of ricinoleic acid is hydrogenated to give the hydroxy group. The conversion of the hydrogenation can be determined by determining the iodine number.

Use

Castor is used in polishes, for capacitors, carbon paper, and mainly as a lubricant. In cosmetics, castor wax is used in skin cleansers. The castor is converted by spray into fine particles of different grain size. The fine particles have here a cleansing and an exfoliating effect.

By ethoxylation of castor wax with ethylene oxide to non-ionic surfactants can be produced. In polyurethane chemistry, castor can be used as alcohol component.