描述
Masticatory substance in chewing gum base, adhesive component, coatings, glazing agent (Japan)
Liquid paraffin, or mineral oil, is a mixture of heavier alkanes, and has a number of names, including nujol, adepsine oil, alboline, glymol, medicinal paraffin, saxol, or USP mineral oil. It has a density of around 0.8 g/cm3. Liquid paraffin (medicinal) is used to aid bowel movement in persons suffering chronic constipation; it passes through the gastrointestinal tract without itself being taken into the body, but it limits the amount of water removed from the stool. In the food industry, where it may be called "wax", it can be used as a lubricant in mechanical mixing, applied to baking tins to ensure that loaves are easily released when cooked and as a coating for fruit or other items requiring a "shiny" appearance for sale. It is often used in infrared spectroscopy, as it has a relatively uncomplicated IR spectrum. When the sample to be tested is made into a mull (a very thick paste), liquid paraffin is added so it can be spread on the transparent (to infrared) mounting plates to be tested.; Paraffin wax (C25H52) is an excellent material to store heat, having a specific heat capacity of 2.14?2.9 J g?1 K?1 (joule per gram per kelvin) and a heat of fusion of 200?220 J g?1. This property is exploited in modified drywall for home building material: it is infused in the drywall during manufacture so that, when installed, it melts during the day, absorbing heat, and solidifies again at night, releasing the heat. Paraffin wax phase change cooling coupled with retractable radiators was used to cool the electronics of the Lunar Rover. Wax expands considerably when it melts and this allows its use in thermostats for industrial, domestic and, particularly, automobile purposes.; Paraffin wax is one of several acceptable candle waxes used in the Jewish menorah ritual.; Pure paraffin wax is an excellent electrical insulator, with an electrical resistivity of between 1013 and 1017 ohm metre. This is better than nearly all other materials except some plastics (notably teflon). It is an effective neutron moderator and was used in James Chadwick's 1932 experiments to identify the neutron. Paraffin wax is found in many foods, some of which are avocado, dill, sugar apple, and soursop.