13 Literature of Waxes and Polishes E. H. McMULLEN
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S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Racine, Wis.
Although waxes are abundant in nature and have been used by man from early times, there is no clear-cut literature of this field. Except for two books on waxes in general and a few on specific waxes, the major access to this literature is through Chemical Abstracts. A broad spectrum of books and periodicals is encountered in scanning Chemical Abstracts for references on wax. Sources of basic formulas for various types of polishes are given. The use of emulsion polymers in the newer self-polishing floor waxes has brought a new group of periodicals into the wax chemist's library. A bibliography of books and periodicals useful to this field is included.
W
ax is as o l d as man. T h e Egyptians i n 4200 B . C . found numerous and varied uses for beeswax. F o r example, they used it to preserve mummies: the wrappings w h i c h encased the corpse were first dipped in a wax solution, and wax was used i n sealing the coffin. T h e sculptured portrait of the deceased, w h i c h decorated the cover of the coffin, was often modeled i n wax and painted with pigmented beeswax. This process of mixing pigments w i t h beeswax a n d applying it w i t h a heated spatula was later called "encaustic." T h e Egyptians are also known to have made square wax writing tablets that could be rubbed down and reused. Several tablets were often fastened together with fiber; these wax tablets were the forerunners of modern books. Wax is the term originally applied to the material now known as beeswax. Chemically, it is defined as an ester of a long chain fatty acid and a long chain alcohol. I n actual use, however, it has taken on a broader significance and is used to include materials w h i c h have waxy physical characteristics even though they may not be waxes from the chemical standpoint. This discussion is limited to non-petroleum waxes of natural origin. E v e n so, the technical literature is abundant but scattered through a broad spectrum of books and periodicals. T h e bibliography w i l l list the more important of these. 249 Smith; Literature of Chemical Technology Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1968.
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LITERATURE
OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY
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Books The best book on the general subject of waxes and polishes is " T h e C h e m istry and Technology of Waxes" by A . H . W a r t h . In the author's words "this book was prepared to provide a ready reference work for chemists and industrialists who require a knowledge of waxes i n their line of endeavor, and for those students and technicians who may wish to extend their background i n a field w i t h w h i c h they are not familiar." Most of the waxes which have been described i n the literature are included i n this book. Also included are applications and uses of the waxes i n various industrial applications. Bennett's "Industrial Waxes" presents a comprehensive survey of all the types of waxes found i n industry. H e discusses sources, preparation, properties and uses. Earlier works by Bennett are listed but are not as highly regarded as "Industrial Waxes." H i s " C h e m i c a l Formulary Series" lists many formulas for polishes and other wax-containing products. Most of these should be considered as a guide to a chemist rather than the formula of an ideal product. Davidsohn's "Polishes and Cleaning Materials" is a guide to the understanding of principles essential to the manufacturer and the chemist active i n the field of polishes and cleaning materials. It discusses the theory of emulsions and polishes as well as their manufacture. Another publication of interest, although not strictly a book, w i l l be described briefly. " V o m W a c h s " was issued to the trade i n several parts by Farbwerke Hoechst A G . It is a beautifully illustrated, including many pictures i n color, history of wax and the use of wax i n the arts as w e l l as industry i n general. "The Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology" edited by Kirk and Othmer contains informative articles on waxes and polishes. W o o l wax is more completely covered i n Truter's " W o o l W a x " than any other type of wax i n a single book, although Root's "Beeswax" and Carvalho's "Ensaios sobre a Carnaubeira" do a fair job for beeswax and carnauba wax respectively. The latter's chief fault is that much work on the composition of carnauba wax has been carried out since its publication, and this portion of the book is out-of-date. Some of this later work is still unpublished. Ivanovszky's "Wachs-Enzyklopadie" and Ludecke's "Taschenbuch fiir die Wachsindustrie" round out the books of value. Most others are only of historical interest. T w o of these deserve mention here, however, although their primary value is in the related field of oils and fats. They are " C h e m i c a l Technology of Oils, Fats and Waxes" by Lewkowitsch and Hilditch's "Industrial Chemistry of the Fats and Waxes." Scientific
Journals
There is no publication devoted exclusively to the field of waxes, and through the years papers on this subject can be found i n a wide variety of journals. A cursory glance at the bibliographies i n Warth's book and Bennett's "Industrial Waxes" shows references i n familiar journals throughout the world. Included are Journal of the American Chemical Society, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Journal of the Chemical Society, Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture (Abstract Section), Australian Journal of Chemistry, Berichte,
Smith; Literature of Chemical Technology Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1968.
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Polishes
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Annalen, Recueil des Travaux Chimiques, Helvetica Chimica Acta, Gazzetta Chimica Italiana, Journal of the Agricultural Chemical Society of Japan, and Journal of the Russian Physical Chemistry Society.
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In the U . S . i n recent years most articles on the chemistry of waxes may be found i n the Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, and those on the application or use of waxes and polishes in Soap and Chemical Specialties. M a n y of these papers and some not printed elsewhere may also be found i n the Proceedings of the Chemical Specialties Manufacturers' Association. Aerosol Age should be examined for technical information on pressurized polishes. Foreign journals w h i c h frequently carry articles on waxes include Fette Seifen Anstrichmittel and Seifen-Ole-Fette-Wachse. Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter has current market information on waxes. A t the current time, polymers are being used extensively i n the manufacture of polishes. Thus many of the journals on emulsions and polymers are useful. These include the Journal of Polymer Science, Journal of Colloid Science, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Kolloid Zeitschrift, Journal of Russian Polymer Science, and others of this nature. It hardly needs to be pointed out that these journals do not give information on polishes as such but are extremely valuable i n helping the chemist develop intermediates for use i n these systems. Patents The world's patent literature has many patents on refining, purification and uses of waxes. The best access to this area is Chemical Abstracts. U . S . patents can be found in the classes and sub-classes listed in the bibliography. In summary, information pertaining to waxes and polishes is abundant but scattered throughout the literature. The most important single source, not only for the information it contains but also for its bibliography, is Warth's " T h e Chemistry and Technology of Waxes."
BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Bennett, H., "Industrial Waxes," 2 vols., New York, Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., 1963. Bennett, H., "Commercial Waxes," 2nd ed., New York, Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., 1956. Bennett, H., Editor-in-chief, "The Chemical Formulary Series," Vols. 1-13, New York, Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., 1933-1967. Bull, P. R., "Vom Wachs," Gersthafen, Germany, Farbwerke Hoechst AG, 1959-1964. Carvalho, J. B. deM., "Ensaios sobre a Carnaubeira," Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Department of Agriculture, 1942. Davidsohn, A., "Polishes and Cleaning Materials," 3rd ed., London, Leonard Hill (Books) Ltd., 1956. Hilditch, T. P., "Industrial Chemistry of the Fats and Waxes," 3rd ed., London, England, Baillier, Tindall and Cox, 1949. Houben-Weyl, "Methoden der Organischen Chemie," Makromolekulare Stoffe, 2 vols., Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 1961, 1963. Ivanovszky, L., "Wachs-Enzyklopädie," Augsburg, Germany, H. Ziolkowski KG, 1954.
Smith; Literature of Chemical Technology Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1968.
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Kirk, R. E., and Othmer, D. F., "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology," 2nd ed., New York, Interscience Publishers, Inc., 1963-. Lewkowitsch, J., "Chemical Technology of Oils, Fats and Waxes," 6th ed., London, Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1921. Ludecke, C., "Taschenbuch für die Wachsindustrie," 4th ed., Stuttgart, Germany, Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 1958. Root, H. H., "Beeswax," New York, Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., 1951. Truter, E. V., "Wool Wax," London, England, Cleaver-Hume Press Ltd., 1956. Warth, A. H., "The Chemistry and Technology of Waxes," 2nd ed., New York, Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1956.
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Periodicals Aerosol Age, Box 31, Caldwell, N . J., monthly. Annalen der Chemie, Verlag Chemie, Pappelalee 3, Weinheim/Bergstr., Germany, irregular. Australian Journal of Chemistry, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, 314 Albert St., East Melbourne C2, Victoria, Australia, quarterly. Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft, Verlag Chemie, G m b H , Pappelalee 3, Weinheim/Bergstr., Germany, monthly. Chemical Abstracts, American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth St., N . W., Washington, D. C. 20036, weekly. Colloid Journal of the USSR, Consultants Bureau, 227 West 17th St., New York, N . Y. 10011, bimonthly. Fette-Seifen-Anstrichmittel, Industrieverlag von Hernhaussen K G , Hamburg 11, Germany, monthly. Gazzetta Chimica Italiana, Viale Liegi 48, Rome, Italy, monthly. Helvetica Chimica Acta, Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta, Basel 7, Switzerland, about 7 nos. a yr. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, American Chemical Society, monthly. Journal of the Agricultural Chemical Society of Japan, Agricultural Chemical Society, Faculty of Agriculture, Univ. of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, monthly. Journal of the American Chemical Society, American Chemical Society, monthly. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, 35 East Wacker Dr., Chicago, Ill. 60601, monthly. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Interscience Publishers, 20th and Northampton Sts., Easton, Pa. 18042, monthly. Journal of the Chemical Society, Burlington House. Piccadilly, London W 1 , England, monthly. Journal of Colloid Science, Academic Press, 111 Fifth Ave., New York, N . Y. 10003, bimonthly. Journal of Macromolecular Science, Marcel Dekker, Inc., 95 Madison Ave., New York, N . Y. 10016, monthly in 3 parts: Chemistry, Physics, and Reviews in. Die Makromolekulare Chemie, Hüthig & Wepf, Basel, Switzerland, irregular. Journal of Physical Chemistry, American Chemical Society, monthly. Journal of Polymer Science, John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, N . Y. 10016, monthly. Journal of Russian Polymer Science (English Translation), Pergamon Press L t d . , 4 & 5 Fitzroy Square, London W 1 , England. Journal of the Russian Physical Chemical Society (English Translation), The Chemical Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W 1 , England, monthly. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Society of Chemical Industry, 14 Belgrave Square, London SW1, England, monthly. Kolloid Zeitschrift & Zeitschrift für Polymere, Dr. Dietrich Steinkopff Verlag, 6100 Darmstadt, Germany, monthly. Oil, Paint & Drug Reporter, Schnell Publishing Co., Inc., 30 Church St., New York, N . Y., weekly.
Smith; Literature of Chemical Technology Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1968.
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Waxes and Polishes
Proceedings of the Chemical Specialties Manufacturers' Association, Chemical Spe cialties Manufacturers' Association, Inc., 50 East 41st St., New York, Ν. Y. 10017, annual. Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Pays-Bas, Nederlandse Chemische Vereniging, Bureau, Lange Voorhoul 5, The Hague, Netherlands, monthly. Seifen-Ole-Fette-Wachse, Verlag fuer Chemische Industrie, H. Ziolkowski KG, Beethovenstr. 16, Augsburg, Germany, biweekly. Soap and Chemical Specialties, MacNair-Dorland Co., Inc., 254 West 31st St., New York, Ν. Y. 10001, monthly.
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Chemical Abstracts Sections Year 1912 1961 1962 1963 1967
Section 27. Fats, Fatty Oils, & Soaps 27. Fats, Fatty Oils, Waxes, & Detergents 4 1 . Fats & Waxes 54. Fats & Waxes 45. Fats & Waxes
Patents Title Coating or Plastic Compositions
Class 106
Coating: Processes and miscellaneous Products Chemistry, Carbon Compounds
117 260
Sub-Classes 10, 31, 38.25, 38.8,
83, 134, 145, 152, 156, 160, 201, 207, 212, 216, 229, 230, 231, 245, 268, 270, 271, 272
158, 168
28, 398 through 428.5
RECEIVED October 22, 1964. Updated 1968.
Smith; Literature of Chemical Technology Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1968.
