Technical Information

TI/EVD 1128 e
November 2005 Page 1 of 8

Supersedes edition dated September 1992

Luwax® LG Flakes
®=R
 egistered trademark of
BASF Aktiengesellschaft

Montanic Ester Wax

 ard montanic ester wax, very easy to emulsify. Can be made into
H
very finely divided emulsions for use in polishes.
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TI/EVD 1128 e  November 2005 Page  of 8 Luwax® LG Flakes

Chemical nature Montanic ester wax

Properties
Unit Test methods
DIN ASTM

Physical form Yellow Flakes

Dropping point °C 51801 D-3954 77 – 83

(Ubbelohde)

Penetrometer dmm 51579 D-1321 approx. 1

value at 23 °C

Acid number mg KOH/g ISO 2114 D-1386 25 – 35

Saponifaction mg KOH/g ISO 3681 D-1387 135 – 160

number

Melt viscosity mm2/s 51562 D-2162 approx. 13

(120 °C)

Density at 23 °C g/cm3 53479 D-792 0.98 – 1.00

The above information is correct at the time of going to press. It does not
necessarily form part of the product specification.

A detailed product specification is available from your local BASF

representative.

Storage Luwax® LG Flakes has an unlimited shelf life in its original packaging,
provided it is stored correctly in a dry place. The packaging needs to be
inspected occasionally to ensure that it is still intact.

Solubility Luwax® LG Flakes is insol­u­ble in water and insol­u­ble or only very spar­ingly
sol­u­ble in all con­ven­tional ­organic sol­vents at room tem­per­a­ture. It is sol­u­ble
at ele­vated tem­per­a­tures in ali­phatic, aro­matic and chlor­i­nated hydro­car­bons
and most other sol­vents that are not too polar. Solu­tions of
Luwax® LG Flakes cool to form wax dis­per­sions in the form of a ­mobile
­liq­uid.

The fol­low­ing table shows the tem­per­a­ture at which Luwax® LG Flakes

forms a clear 10 % solu­tion in ­selected sol­vents. There is also a “cloud
point” at which the wax ­begins to recrys­tal­lize on cool­ing. The clear point
was measured by redissolving a dispersion of wax crystals in the order to
prevent any undissolved pastilles or powder from influencing the results.

Solvent Boiling point Clear Cloud

(All figures are appoximate) of solvent point point

Mineral spirits 140 – 200 °C 65 °C 55 °C
Tetrachloroethylene 121 °C 50 °C 40 °C
Toluene 111 °C 50 °C 40 °C
Turpentine oil 140 – 180 °C 60 °C 45 °C
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Miscibility Luwax® LG Flakes can be blended with many other types of waxes, resins
and polymers simply by melting them and the stirring or kneading them
together. The compatibility of Luwax® LG Flakes with the substances listed
below was determined by melting them and mixing them together in the
ratios 9 : 1 and 1 : 9.

With only three exceptions, a homogenous mixture was formed in solid and
liquid form in all cases.

9 :1 1: 9

Beeswax + +
Block paraffin wax + +
Candelilla wax + +
Carnauba wax + +
Crude montan wax + –
Fischer-Tropsch wax + +
Ketone resins (Laropal K types) + +
Luwax® E + +
Luwax® LG Flakes + +
Luwax® LGE Flakes + +
Luwax® OP Powder/Flakes + –
Luwax® V Flakes + +
Microcrystalline wax, hard, plastic + +
Microcrystalline wax, oxidized + +
Oxidized polyethylene wax + –
(e. g. Luwax® OA Pastilles
and Luwax® OA2 Pastilles/Powder)
Polyisobutylene (Oppanol® B types) + +

+ = Forms homogeneous mixture

– = Does not form homogeneous mixture

Preparing emulsions It is very easy to emulsify Luwax® LG Flakes. Very finely divided wax emulsi-
ons can be obtained which, providing the emulsifier is added in the correct
proportions, dry to form a glossy film. Emulsions can also be prepared from
mixtures of hard and soft microcrystalline waxes, oxidized microcrystalline
wax, and emulsifiable polyethylene waxes.

Anionic and nonionic emulsifiers can be used. Emulan ® OC, a fatty alcohol
ethoxylate, is a nonionic emulsifier typically used for Luwax ® LG Flakes.
Emulsions prepared with Emulan OC are very stable at high temperatures.

Special amine soaps can be used to prepare anionic emulsions. Soaps

can be prepared with amines such as 3-methoxypropylamine, methyl­
propanolamine, diethylethanolamine and triethanolamine.

These anionic wax emulsions differ from nonionic emulsions in that they are
more transparent. They appear to take on a brownish colouration because
of their particle size: emulsions with an average particle size of less than
100 µm tend to scatter light rather than reflect it.

Emulsions are prepared by melting a mixture of wax and emulsifier in hot

water. The water can be added to the wax or vice versa. If the water is
added to the wax, a water-in-oil emulsion is obtained initially, but the
phases are reversed at lower wax concentrations.

Alkalis such as the amines listed above are usually added to the melted wax.
They can be diluted in advance if necessary with three times their volume of
boiling water.

Fatty acids can precipitate out of solution in hard water, and this can
prevent them forming soaps with the amines. This entails that anionic wax
emulsions have to be prepared with soft water. Hard water can be
softened with our Trilon® types.

Nonionic emulsifiers are largely insensitive to water hardness, and nonionic

emulsions can be prepared with moderately hard water.
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Emulsions prepared from Luwax® LG Flakes usually have a final concen­

tration of 12 – 15 %. Concentrated emulsions with solids contents of up to
30 % can also be prepared, which can then be mixed with other liquids such
as polymer dispersions. Concentrated emulsions can also be used to save
space and energy. They can be diluted down to their final concentration by
quickly heating them to a fairly high temperature and then adding cold water.

The usual preservatives have to be added to wax emulsions to prevent them

from being attacked by bacteria and fungi.

Suggested formulations Nonionic wax emulsions 1 2

Luwax® LG Flakes 10.4 8

Paraffin wax – 2
(f. p. 52 – 54 °C)
Emulan® OC 1.6 2
Water 88.0 88

Anionic wax emulsions 3 4

Luwax® LG Flakes 13.5 5

Luwax® OA Pastilles – 5
Hard microcrystalline wax – 5
(f. p. 85 – 92 °C)
Oleic acid 1.5 1
Diethylethanolamine 1.7 1.5
Water 83.3 82.5

Applications
Floor polishes, Both anionic and nonionic emulsions of Luwax® LG Flakes dry to form
leather polishes glossy films which can be used to protect a variety of substrates.

The most important area of application for Luwax® LG Flakes is in dry-bright

emulsion-type floor polishes. These can be applied to PVC, rubber, asphalt,
linoleum, jointless flooring and other types of flooring that are not resistant to
solvents. Polishes of this type dry to form a glossy film without having to be
buffed.

Emulsions of Luwax® LG Flakes can also be used in polishes for leather.

In both these applications, polishes have to contain polymer dispersions

alongside wax emulsions in order to improve the hardness, water resis­tance,
soil resistance and gloss of the film. Acrylic and styrene-acrylic polymer
dispersions can be used here.

Various additives have to be added to formulations of this type, depending

on the type of product. Additives include ammonia-soluble resins to improve
wetting, non-volatile plasticizers such as tributoxyethyl phosphate and poly-
vinylpyrrolidone, volatile plasticizers such as ethylene glycol dimethyl or diet-
hyl esters, levelling agents (fluorinated surfactants), antifoams, detergents
and preservatives.

Construction, timber, Emulsions prepared from Luwax® LG Flakes and large proportions of
paper and engineering paraffin wax dry to form tough, water-repellent films. These have a variety of
applications.

Formwork emulsions

Emulsions of Luwax® LG Flakes can be applied to wooden and metal forms

for concrete. They have the advantage over oils that they do not penetrate
into the concrete, which causes difficulties when renderings and finishes are
applied.

Water repellants for particle board

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Wax emulsions are added to the adhesives used to bind particle board to
prevent particles of wood from absorbing moisture and swelling.

Size for paper

Applied to paper in the size press, emulsions of this type give improved
water resistance, smoothness and gloss.

Temporary protective coatings for metal

Emulsions can be applied to new cars and machine parts, etc., to protect
them from corrosion during transport and storage.

Leather industry Emulsions of Luwax® LG Flakes can be used for finishing, milling and
calendering leather.

Food-contact legislation Luwax® LG Flakes is included in the incomplete list of additives in Annex 3
to Commission Directive 2002/72/EC.

Safety
We know of no ill effects that could have resulted from using
Luwax® LG Flakes for the purposes for which they are intended and from
processing them in accordance with current practice.

According to the experience we have gained over many years and the other
information at our disposal, Luwax® LG Flakes do not exert any harmful
effects on health, provided they are used properly, due attention is given to
the precautions necessary for handling chemicals, and the information and
advice given in our Safety Data Sheet is observed.

Note
The data contained in this publication are based on our current knowledge
and experience. In view of the many factors that may affect processing
and application of our product, these data do not relieve processors from
carrying out their own investigations and tests; neither do these data imply
any guarantee of certain properties, nor the suitability of the product for
a specific purpose. Any descriptions, drawings, photographs, data, pro-
portions, weights etc. given herein may change without prior information
and do not constitute the agreed contractual quality of the product. It is
the responsibility of the recipient of our products to ensure that any
proprietary rights and existing laws and legislation are observed.

November 2005
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TI/EVD 1128 e  November 2005 Page  of 8 Luwax® LG Flakes

Printed in Germany

BASF Aktiengesellschaft
Performance Chemicals for
Detergents and Formulators
67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany
www.basf.com/detergents-formulators