Ceresin


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ceresin

[′se·rə·sən]
(materials)
A hydrocarbon wax refined from veins of wax shale known as ozocerite; used in manufacture of candles, shoe polish, electrical insulation, and floor waxes because of its great compatibility with other substances. Also known as ceresine; ozocerite.
A mixture of paraffin wax and beeswax, or a mixture of ozocerite and paraffin.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Ceresin

 

a mixture of solid hydrocarbons, mainly alkylnaphthenes and alkanes; refined from ozokerite. Ceresin is similar to wax in its viscosity, density, color (from white to brown), and melting point (65°–88°C). The 1950’s saw the introduction of a means of ceresin production involving the use of petrolatum and paraffin deposits (“paraffin plugs”) formed in pipes used for the extraction and transfer of petroleum. Synthetic ceresin is produced by the catalytic synthesis of liquid fuel that consists mainly of normal alkanes and low-molecular-weight polyethylene.

Ceresin is commonly used in the production of semisolid lubricants; it is also used as an anticorrosive coating for various mechanical devices and as an insulating material in electrical engineering. Like ozokerite, ceresin has medical uses.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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