Wax ester

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A wax ester (WE; also known as a ceride) is an ester of a fatty acid and a fatty alcohol. Wax esters are the main components of two commercially important waxes: carnauba wax and beeswax. Wax esters are formed by combining one fatty acid with one fatty alcohol: RCO2H + R'OH ⇌ RCO2R' + H2O Some wax esters are saturated, and others contain unsaturated centers. Saturated wax esters have higher melting points and are more likely to be solid at room temperature. Unsaturated wax esters have a lower melting point and are more likely to be liquid at room temperature. Both fatty acids and fatty alcohols may be made of different carbon chain length. There are many different possible combinations of fatty acids and fatty alcohols and each combination will have a unique set of properties in terms of steric orientation and phase transition. The chain lengths of fatty acids and fatty alcohols in naturally occurring wax esters vary. The fatty acids in wax esters derived from plants typically range...

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