Beeswax Essay

1553 Words4 Pages

Another inactive ingredient contained in Carmex Cherry Lip Balm is camphor. The natural process of obtaining camphor is to distill the wood and bark of the camphor tree. Camphor can also be chemically produced using turpentine oil. The scientific name for the tree camphor naturally comes from is Cinnamomum camphora and the name for the chemically processed camphor is Trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one. In the chemical structure, the central atom is carbon and the various electronic geometries are trigonal planar and tetrahedral.
Camphor’s chemical formula is C10H16O and contains 28 sigma bonds, and one pi bond, and all of these bonds are covalent due to carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen all being non-metals. Camphor is a stable chemical that …show more content…

Beeswax starts out as white but later becomes a more of a yellow color. Beeswax contains carbohydrates such as fructose, glucose, and sucrose. Its main components are palmitate, palmitoleate, hydroxypalmitate and oleate esters of long-chain (30-32 carbons) aliphatic alcohols, with the ratio of triacontanylpalmitate CH3(CH2)29O-CO-(CH2)14CH3 to cerotic acid CH3(CH2)24COOH, the two principal components, being 6:1. Beeswax is insoluble in water, but it is soluble in many organic solvents such as ether, acetone, benzene, benzene, and chloroform. At room temperature beeswax does not totally dissolve in any of these solvents, but once beeswax is heated above its melting point it is readily soluble in all of them, and in ethanol. The boiling point of beeswax is above 260 °Celsius and the freezing and melting point is about 63 °Celsius. Beeswax is a stable solid and should not come into contact with strong oxidants or acids. The molecular weight of beeswax is 415 g/mol. An intermolecular force between the molecules of the product could be dipole-dipole because of the polarity. Beeswax is mainly used in cosmetics as an emollient and thickener, but can also be used as an emulsifier. Beeswax is also used for reliving pain, swelling, and ulcers. One of the properties of the hydrocarbons contained in beeswax is that it can be used as a lubricant, which could be used in Carmex to keep lips from …show more content…

In laymen’s terms, petrolatum is referred to simply as petroleum jelly, and was first discovered at an oil rig by Robert Chesebrough who later founded the Vaseline company. It is widely used in lip balms to promote the retention of moisture. Unfortunately, the FDA does not regulate the purity of petrolatum, so it has been known to be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which is a known carcinogen. It is disputed as to whether this ingredient is at all effective because of its sealing properties. It creates a barrier that is intended to lock moisture in, however it can stop the absorption of moisture instead, as well as blocking pores to prevent necessary detoxification. Because it is a conglomerate of many different hydrocarbons, it does not have a chemical formula, although carbon numbers typically exceed 25. It tends to have a long shelf life, which is what makes it so attractive in cosmetics. It is nonpolar, and considered to be chemically inert, which means that it can be easily mixed with other chemicals without eliciting a chemical reaction. This makes it an ideal base. As far as properties are concerned, petrolatum is almost tasteless and is an unctuous solid or semisolid that is yellowish or amber in color. It has a boiling point of 343.3º C, a melting point of 38°C, and is soluble in diethyl ether, Benzene, Chloroform, Petroleum Ether, Carbon Disulfide, Oils, insoluble in cold water, hot water, and

Open Document