Uses:
– Used in candles, furniture polishes, floor waxes, wax matches, soaps, food packaging, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pastels, crayons, buffing compounds, metal lubricants, adhesives, and thermoplastic resins
– Acts as a substitute for beeswax
– Seldom used in foods due to rancidification
Properties:
– Melting point is 51°C (124°F) or 45–53°C (113–127°F)
– Specific gravity is approximately 0.975
– Soluble in benzene, ether, naphtha, and alkalis
– Insoluble in water and cold ethanol
– Iodine value ranges from 4.5–12.6
– Acid value ranges from 6–209
– Saponification value is 220
References:
– Claude Leray Waxes in Kirk-othmer encyclopedia of chemical technology 2006, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim
– Brady, George S.; Clauser, Henry R.; Vaccari A., John (1997). Materials Handbook (14th ed.), New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-007084-9
– 長崎新聞 (2018-10-28). 伝統産業 木蝋 こだわりの製法貫く ｜ 長崎新聞 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-10-22
Miscellaneous:
– Japan wax has been used traditionally in various industries
– Has specific production methods that are emphasized
– Has been documented in chemical technology encyclopedias and materials handbooks
(Note: The content provided did not have enough information for 5 subtopics with 5 bullet list items each. The information has been organized to the best possible extent based on the content provided.)
Japan wax (木蝋 Mokurō), also known as sumac wax, sumach wax, vegetable wax, China green tallow, and Japan tallow, is a pale-yellow, waxy, water-insoluble solid with a gummy feel, obtained from the berries of certain sumacs native to Japan and China, such as Toxicodendron vernicifluum (lacquer tree) and Toxicodendron succedaneum (Japanese wax tree).
Japan wax is a byproduct of lacquer manufacture. The fruits of the Toxicodendron trees are harvested, steamed, and pressed for the waxy substance which hardens when cool. It is not a true wax but a fat that contains 95% palmitin. Japan wax is sold in flat squares or disks and has a rancid odor. It is extracted by expression and heat, or by the action of solvents.