WAXES

Dr. Adnan Amin

Feb 2024

Department of Pharmacognosy, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan

 Introduction

Plant details

Overview Physical
Properties

Collection and
chemistry

Uses
 Introduction

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 WAXES
• These are esters of fatty acids with alcohol. (Monohydroxy alcohol e.g cetyl alcohol,
melissyl alcohol etc).
• Low Melting point solids, available natural and synthetic.

• Fatty acids are of same type, yet they differ in saponification from fats
• Fats are esters of fatty acids with glycerol, and are solid at, room temperature. On the
other hand, waxes are esters of fatty acids other than glycerol
• Saponification
• It is the no of mg of KOH required to saponify 1 g of Fat. It is helpful to estimate average
molecular weight of all fatty acids present in sample.

• Widely distributed in plant (Leaves/fruits) protecting from dehydration and small predators
and animals (feathers/furs) helping to act as water repellent and protection.
• Typical example in humans is ear wax.

NOT USED AS FOOD, since wax hydrolyzing enzymes are not there.

• Bees wax, spermaceti, carnuba wax

• Multiples uses Candle making, car polishes, water proof coatings, cosmetics
• To colour plastics etc
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 SOAP
SOAPONOFICATION VALUE

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 Soap
Its a salt of a fatty acid. used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products.

• In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing,
and other types of housekeeping.
• In industrial settings, soaps are used as thickeners, components of
some lubricants, and precursors to catalysts.

KOH

(Stearic acid) (Sodium Stearate)

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Why fatty acid contents are important in soap formation?
The distribution of unsaturated and saturated fatty acid determines the hardness, aroma,
cleansing, lather, and moisturizing abilities of soaps.

Since Fixed oils are used to make soaps(due to presence of fatty acids) so we are
interested to determine their amounts.

Saponification
Saponification is the process in which triglycerides are combined with a strong base to
form fatty acid metal salts during the soap-making process. The distribution of unsaturated
and saturated fatty acid determines the hardness, aroma, cleansing, lather, and
moisturizing abilities of soaps.

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Saponification value
“It is the no. of mg of KOH required to saponify (neutralize) fatty acids resulting from
complete hydrolysis of 1g of Fat”.

IMPORTANCE
• The magnitude of saponification value gives an idea about the average
molecular weight of the fat or oil.
• Higher the molecular weight of the fat, the smaller is its saponification value.

HOW
• The long chain fatty acids found in fats have a low saponification value because they
have a relatively fewer number of carboxylic functional groups per unit mass of the
fat as compared to short chain fatty acids. So the longer the carbon chain, the less acid
is liberated per gram of fat hydrolysed

THUS
• Saponification value also indicates the length of carbon chain of the acid
present in that particular oil or fat.
• Higher the saponification value, greater is the percentage of the short chain
acids present in the glycerides of the oil or fats.

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Principle

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Procedure:

1) Weigh 1g of fat in a beaker and dissolve in about 3ml of the

fat solvent [ ethanol /ether mixture].
2) Quantitatively transfer the contents of the beaker three times
with a further 7ml of the solvent to flask.
3) Add 25ml of 0.5N alcoholic KOH to Burette.
4) Set up another burette as the blank with all other
reagents present except the fat.
5) Place both the flasks in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes .
6) Cool the flasks to room temperature .
7) Now add phenolphthalein indicator to both the flasks and titrate
with 0.5N HCl .
8) Note down the endpoint of blank and test . 0.5N KOH

9) The difference between the blank and test reading gives the
number of millilitres of 0.5N KOH required
to saponify 1g of fat.
Phenopthalene
10) Calculate the saponification value using the formula :

Fat
Saponification value or number of fat = mg of KOH consumed by 1g of fat.

Weight of KOH = Normality of KOH * Equivalent weight* volume of KOH in litres

Volume of KOH consumed by 1g fat = [Blank – test]ml

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 Bees Wax
Details
From honeycomb of hive bees

Biological Source
Apis melifera(Apidae)

Synonyms
Cera alba, cera flawa, White bees wax,
yellow bees wax

Geographical source
Jamica, Egypt, Africa, throughout the world

Morphology
• Cera Flawa is yellow color, honey like odor, and
taste, Solid
• Water insoluble, soluble in alcohol, chloroform
• White ,whitish appearance, tasteless, free from
rancidity, water insoluble.
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 Collection and cultivation

• Secreted from mouth of bee

• Used to seal the hide (amounts 1/8)
• Remove the honey, and boil the comb
• Wax will float on surface
• It is yellow wax
• Now further pufication
• Purification by filtration, centrifugation, and bleaching.
• It is white bees wax

Chemistry

• Its main constituents are palmitate, palmitoleate, and oleate esters of

long-chain (30–32 carbons) aliphatic alcohols of triacontanyl
palmitate CH3(CH2)29O-CO-(CH2)14CH3 to cerotic acid CH3(CH2)24COOH,
the two principal constituents,

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 USES

• Ointments, polishes,
• Creams, cosmetics
• Plasters

Marketed Product

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 Carnuba Wax
Oil details
Exudate obtained from Brazilian palm tree

Biological Source
Copernicia prunifera(Palmae)

Synonyms
Brazil Wax

Geographical source
North Brazil, Argentina

Morphology
• Hard grayish solid, crystal fracture
• Characteristic odor, Bland taste

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 Collection and cultivation

• Leaves of Palm tree are collected

• Washed dried and spread on cloth
• Heating , wax floats over water
• Purified and molded.
• Purification by filtration, centrifugation, and bleaching.

Chemistry

• aliphatic esters (40 wt%), diesters of 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (21.0

wt%), ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids (13.0 wt%), and fatty alcohols (12
wt%).
• The compounds are predominantly derived from acids and alcohols in
the C26-C30 range.
• Distinctive for carnauba wax is the high content of diesters as well as
methoxycinnamic acid

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 USES

• Tablet coating
• As release agent
• Polishes

Marketed Product

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 Spermaceti
Oil details
Wax, from head and bladder of sperm whale

Biological Source
Physeter macrocephalus (Physeteridae)

Synonyms
Spermaceti

Geographical source
Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans chiefly near
the coasts of Mozambique,

Morphology
• Spermaceti occurs as a white, translucent crystalline mass
• It possesses little or no odour and taste.
• Saponification value of 125-136, Iodine value of 3-5
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 Collection and cultivation
• Spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside
the whale's head. This organ may contain as much
as 1,900 litres of spermaceti.
• Whale catching, killing and open head, to get RAW
Spermaceti (Liquid)
• Now boil it to remove impurities.
• Allow to cool(chilling), solidified.
• Purification

Chemistry
• cetyl palmitate (C1 H31.COOC16H33) with smaller quantities of cetyl
myristate, cetyl laurate and cetyl stearate. It also contains 50-63
percent of wax alcohols.

Cetyl palmitate

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 USES

• Ointments, creams (Face wash etc)

• Dentistry

Marketed Product

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Questions