Ozocerite

Description

A natural, waxy mixture of paraffinic hydrocarbons. Ozocerite occurs in rocks found in Utah, Galicia, Australia, and in Romania near the Caspian Sea. The light yellow to dark brown Mineral wax is used as a substitute for beeswax and carnauba wax in polishes, candles, printing inks, crayons, sealing waxes, phonograph records, and insulation. It is also used for leather polish, lithographic and printing inks, carbon paper, floor polishes, waxed paper, and textile sizing. When purified by boiling and alkali treatments, ozocerite is called Ceresin wax.

Synonyms and Related Terms

ozoquerita (Esp.); ozocérite (Fr.); ozocerite (It); ozokerite; fossil wax; earth wax

Hazards and Safety

Combustible.

Physical and Chemical Properties

Soluble in petroleum solvents, benzene, turpentine, carbon disulfide.

Slightly soluble in ethanol. Insoluble in water.

Acid value= 0; iodine value=0, saponification value = 0

Melting Point	55-110 (raw); 74.4-75.0 (refined)
Density	0.85-0.95

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 567; melting point 55-100, specific gravity = 0.85-0.95

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966 Comment: ozokerite

• Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozocerite (Accessed Feb. 10, 2006)

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: (refined) melting point = 74.4-75.0, density=0.907-0.920, acid value= 0; iodine value=0, saponification value = 0

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: Ozokerite." . Accessed 14 Apr. 2004. Melting point 58-100 C

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000 Comment: ozokerite