Many people, when purchasing candles, want to reliably know their origin. And this is quite reasonable. After all, it is wax, and not paraffin, that is a natural, harmless substance, and everyone wants to protect themselves from counterfeiting.
What are wax and paraffin
Wax is a product produced by bees to build honeycomb cells. Special glands located in the bee body are responsible for the production of wax. This material does not dissolve in water, but, for example, gasoline is a good solvent for it.
Wax
Paraffin– a synthetic substance obtained mainly from petroleum, a mixture of hydrocarbons. When producing candles, chemical wax substitutes, fragrances and other components are added to paraffin.
Paraffin Comparison
You can already visually determine how candles made from one and the other material differ from each other. The wax product has a yellow tint. The color of such a candle can be brighter or darker (yellow-brown). Paraffin itself is white and translucent. However, paraffin candles are often tinted, and their color palette is not limited in any way.
You can also identify the difference between a wax candle and a paraffin candle experimentally, which is not difficult to do. So:
- The wax does not burn without leaving a residue. The candle melts from it, and large drops flow down its sides as it burns. Paraffin “melts” without a trace, filling the air with combustion products.
- If notes of honey aroma are detected when burning a candle, then the product is made of wax. The smell when burning a paraffin candle is pungent.
- Wax and paraffin differ in their ability to form soot. So, holding glass over a lit wax candle, you can note the absence of carbon deposits on it. The flame of a paraffin candle will leave a characteristic dark spot on the glass surface.
- You can try bending a candle. The wax will remain intact, although it will change shape. Paraffin - will abruptly fall apart and break.
- It is not difficult to determine the difference between a wax and paraffin candle with the help of a knife. Pliable wax can be cut easily and neatly. Paraffin, being hard material, from such an impact it will crumble.
- Wax candles, being unused for a long time, can become covered with a white coating. The shelf life and storage conditions do not affect paraffin products in any way. Such candles always remain in their original condition.
The times when people did not know about electric lighting are long gone - at least in countries that we call “civilized” or “developed”. True, in Russia there are remote places where electricity does not always “reach” - for example, in the Arctic, in the tundra and beyond: in such corners people use kerosene lamps and candles as lighting devices.
Scented candles - dangerous romance
In our everyday life, candles are rarely used for their intended purpose, but they have another function: with their help it is very fashionable to create a romantic atmosphere - romantic dinners by candlelight are shown in almost every melodrama - and to scent the air in rooms. At first glance, this is a wonderful way to brighten up our everyday reality, and this use of candles can only be welcomed, but experts - chemists, ecologists, etc. - do not think so. On the contrary, most of them believe that the craze for scented candles cannot lead to anything good - however, here we are talking specifically about their regular use, and many people, carried away by various exotic practices, light candles almost every day.
Meanwhile, research shows that burning scented candles can release no less toxins into the air than lit cigarettes - many fans of room scenting are unaware of this. Often such candles are lit to get rid of unpleasant odors, and they are left to burn all night, especially in the bedroom - the concentration of harmful substances in the air does not decrease, but increases.
As a result, the risk of acquiring respiratory diseases, skin problems and even oncology increases - hardly anyone needs such acquisitions. Are we really going to have to give up scented candles, which have become so popular?
Paraffin candles are a chemical product
Fortunately, not all candles are harmful, but only those made using the achievements of the great science of chemistry. This science is truly great: today we can enjoy many benefits, precisely thanks to talented chemists, but in recent decades chemistry has been used not to make our lives easier, but on the contrary, to add problems - unintentionally, as the owners and managers of large industrial enterprises. Paraffin candles are one of these products: they seem to be necessary, but at the same time they pose a health hazard.
It is clear that there will be no harm from one candle, which we light from time to time, but many people - especially young and middle-aged women - are addicted to lighting candles every time they take a bath, and during dinner too - and at the table In addition to adults, there are also children. When a paraffin candle burns, toxic compounds are released into the air - benzene and toluene, and they do not have time to burn - because the combustion temperature is low.
About benzene and toluene: the harm of paraffin candles
Why are these chemical compounds so dangerous?
They are used very widely in industry - for example, benzene is one of the most used products. Rubber, synthetic rubber, plastics and other artificial materials are produced on its basis; paints, fabric and leather dyes, explosives and even medical supplies. As flavoring agents, benzene and its derivatives are used in perfumery and food industry– in very small quantities, but it’s better to talk about this separately.
The main route by which benzene enters the human body is through the respiratory tract, so people who work where there is constant benzene vapor in the air often suffer from sleep disturbances, weakness and dizziness. If small doses of this substance enter the body regularly over several years, a person’s kidneys and liver begin to work poorly, and the functions of the nervous and circulatory systems are disrupted; Diseases of the bone marrow and blood, including leukemia, may also develop. Acute poisoning is rare - for this you need to get a large dose of benzene, but sometimes they end tragically.
Toluene is also an aromatic compound, and it is the raw material from which benzene is obtained, and trinitrotoluene is a well-known explosive, since toluene “can” ignite within a few seconds. It also enters the body through the respiratory system, but can also through the skin, and immediately affects the nervous system, and then the circulatory system - sometimes the changes are irreversible.
Is it really that dangerous?
These descriptions may seem inappropriate - after all, paraffin candles contain little benzene and toluene, and they can only cause harm if you breathe in toxic fumes for days, but it’s not that simple. In everyday life we are constantly surrounded by things made on the basis chemicals: synthetic fabrics, carpets, finishing materials, household chemicals, and there are a lot of chemical additives in food products - it’s impossible to list them all. If you add paraffin candles to this and light them indoors regularly, your health will deteriorate even more “steadily,” although no one will immediately get sick or die.
British researchers say that the rare use of paraffin candles is not dangerous to health, but at the same time they advise ventilating the room when they burn to reduce the amount of toxins in the air. As usual, opinions differ here: some doctors believe that there is no particular problem - after all, there is no direct evidence, however, when it appears, for many lovers of scented candles it may be too late.
By the way, although the church is now becoming commercial, and its ministers often strive for profit, the lighting of paraffin or other candles other than wax in God’s temple is called by conscientious priests a “godless” and “vile” thing - and this is not accidental.
Wax candles - free of soot and toxins
Wax candles are made entirely of natural substances, and cannot cause harm to health, even if there are a lot of them burning in the room. In former times, church candles were made only from beeswax: such candles burn evenly, do not smoke and do not emit any harmful substances into the air.
Nowadays aromatic candles made from wax with propolis have appeared on sale, which are not only not harmful, but also useful: it is recommended to light them indoors during epidemics, to relieve stress or simply to create a romantic atmosphere - you can have dinner with such candles without fear. True, they are more expensive than paraffin candles - however, like everything natural.
In recent years, soy wax has become popular - it is cheaper than beeswax, and is also 100% safe if it does not contain impurities; Unfortunately, according to standards, candles are considered soy if they contain only 1/4 of such wax, but serious manufacturers of such products do not produce such products. Soy wax candles can be easily processed: the wax is melted and poured into a mold, and if desired, it can be tinted and scented with your favorite essential oil.
It is not difficult to distinguish wax candles from paraffin candles. If paraffin is cut, it crumbles, but wax is cut easily and evenly; In addition, wax candles do not leave a black residue - they cannot smoke glass.
We purchased candles from various churches and a honey store and conducted an experiment to see which candles were truly wax.
It’s very unfortunate to come across 100% wax candles these days. good quality extremely difficult. All over the world, preference is given to paraffin candles; they are cheap, but this is where all the advantages of paraffin candles end.
Paraffin is a petroleum derivative; in addition to paraffin, the candle contains a large set of chemical wax substitutes, stearin and fragrances. When burned, such candles release toxic substances, and paraffin itself is a carcinogen when burned. Now think about what the candles we like to light on birthday cakes are made of? But they drip into the cake when it burns.
Candles made from real raw beeswax are not only safe, but also healthy! Such candles include propolis, which gives special smell candles and when burning, evaporating, cleans and disinfects the air in the room and has a beneficial effect on the entire human body.
How can you tell wax candles from paraffin candles?
Participants in the experiment:
1. Control candle - a candle made by hand by the owner of the Old Believer Church from raw apiary wax of our bees in Russian Taurus. (Read in the previous article making our wax candles)
2. Factory-made wax candle from purified wax, purchased in the church on the 1905 square.
3. Half-wax candle from the church on the square in 1905 (The percentage of wax content in the candles turned out to be low).
4. A “wax” candle from a honey store, as it turned out in the experiment, is paraffin with other wax substitutes and fragrance.
5. Festive paraffin candle from the church on Goncharny Lane.
6. A Jerusalem candle, burned by holy fire, bought in the same church, turned out to be 100% paraffin.
The experiment showed:
1) By smell:
1. Our raw wax candle has a distinct natural wax aroma that is noticeable when the candle is held to your nose.
2. The factory candle has a very faint waxy smell, practically no smell, since it is made from purified wax, from which all the impurities that give such a unique aroma to our candles have been removed.
3. Semi wax candle has no smell.
4. “Wax” from a honey store has no smell.
5. Paraffin candle is odorless.
6. Jerusalem paraffin is also odorless.
2) To the touch:
1. Our candle is a little rough, pleasant to the touch, waxy.
2. Factory wax candle is smoother, but also has a natural feel.
3. Semi-waxy is less pleasant to the touch, more like paraffin.
4. “Wax” from a honey store is unpleasant to the touch, also more reminiscent of paraffin
5. and 6. Paraffin to the touch like soap, very unpleasant, greasy.
3) When cutting with a knife:
1. Our candle is easy to cut, like plasticine, and does not crumble when cut.
2. The factory spark plug behaves the same way
3. Semi-wax is a little more difficult to cut, it is harder.
4. “Wax” from a honey store cuts normally.
5. Paraffin is cut in the same way as semi-wax. Apparently, in addition to paraffin, the composition contains other wax substitutes that make the candle closer in properties to wax.
6. The Jerusalem candle behaves like 100% paraffin, crumbles when cut, there is no plasticity.
4. When burning:
1. Our candle burns evenly, does not flow, (does not cry), and melts when burning, forming a drop of wax inside the candle. During the combustion process it periodically crackles. Burns slowly. Gives a very faint waxy smell. The candle is easily placed on a drop of wax on a glass surface.
2. The factory light is also on.
3. Semi-wax burns a little faster.
4. “Wax” from a honey store burns very quickly. It was not possible to place it on the surface; the drop instantly froze, indicating a paraffin origin and greasy to the touch.
5. Paraffin burns quickly, flows, but there is a droplet when melting, which also indicates the presence of other impurities in it besides paraffin. Does not smell when burning. It was also not possible to light the candle.
6. Jerusalema behaves like pure paraffin, burns very quickly, as if evaporating in the air, without forming droplets. Does not smell when burning. It was not possible to light the candle.
5. If you hold glass over the candle flame:
1. Our candle does not produce soot or produces a very slight, barely noticeable darkening of the glass.
2. Factory spark plug also.
3. Semi-wax smokes glass moderately
4. “Wax” from a honey store smokes the glass a lot, it turns black
5. Paraffin one smokes a lot, just like the previous candle.
6. Jerusalem paraffin also produces a lot of soot on the glass.
6. When extinguishing a candle:
1. Our candle gives a natural scent, sometimes pleasantly waxy.
2. Factory also
3. Semi-waxy gives a weak, unpleasant paraffin odor.
4. “Wax” from a honey store gives a strong unpleasant paraffin smell
5. and 6. Even more unpleasant strong odor.
7. Plasticity of a candle:
1. Our candle is very plastic, it bends easily, but does not break or crumble.
2. Factory also
3. Semi-wax also
4. “Wax” from a honey store is quite plastic, but when broken it crumbles
5. Paraffin plastic, indicates other impurities
6. Jerusalem immediately breaks and crumbles, there is no plasticity, indicating 100% paraffin.
You can now buy natural wax candles made from raw wax in Yekaterinburg in our online store.
Paraffin candles are beautiful to look at and quite elegant. They are usually used to add a festive atmosphere to any event.
Description
Paraffin is the most common material for candle production, having supplanted stearin as the main product back in the early 19th century.
In 1830, a German chemist, Karl von Reikenbach, discovered a chemical compound called paraffin. The resulting substance instantly gained popularity not only among craftsmen making candles (paraffin in one form or another is included in most candles), but also affected the textile, food, and printing industries.
Candle composition
In purified form, the resulting product is actively used in the manufacture of candles. It is a colorless substance that has neither taste nor smell. The resulting material is greasy to the touch, does not dissolve in water, but dissolves well in mineral oils and, when heated, in a variety of vegetable oils. The density of the purified material varies between 0.907-0.915/cm 3 . The colorless substance has low thermal conductivity. Synthetic material begins to melt at a temperature of 50-60 °C.
Essentially, paraffin is a carbon compound. Chemists and scientists know many types of chemical compounds.
Difference from wax
Unlike wax candles, paraffin candles do not burn for long. Wax ones are inferior to them in beauty, and even in an interesting design in appearance look more like church ones. However, from a medical point of view, candles made from wax are better than paraffin candles, as they are made from a natural material - wax produced by bees. Due to the fact that wax candles are quite expensive, they are usually not made entirely from beeswax, but use inclusions of various materials in order to extend the burning time of the candle, as well as imitate the natural aroma.
The main distinguishing feature of a paraffin candle from a wax candle is fragility. Thus, candles made from paraffin crumble easily because they are a direct product of oil refining. Wax candles are always cut into an even layer.
Household paraffin candle
Household candles are most often made from untinted paraffin of medium or high purity. They are cylindrical in appearance and usually white, translucent or opaque in color. Such candles are the simplest, most popular and cheapest type of candles. Use them for their intended purpose during a power outage. It is used by placing it in a candlestick, with the help of which the candle becomes more stable.
Candle production
Paraffin candles can be easily made at home. To do this you will need the following materials:
- Paraffin (for example, from old candles or purchased in the form of a bar).
- A small weight (you can use a nut).
- Thread for the wick.
- Essential oils and dyes.
- Metal utensils for melting.
- Shape (you can use a children's sandbox set).
Next you need to prepare paraffin. If you use old candles or purchased but ugly ones, they must be placed in hot water. Then cut it, pull out the wick from the inside and lower it into the bowl. Melt the paraffin using a water bath.
If you purchase a piece of paraffin in a specialized store, you need to cut it into small pieces and immerse it in a container for melting. At this time, it is necessary to stir the mixture periodically to prevent overheating, blackening and leakage of the substance.
Then you need to lubricate the walls of the candle mold with liquid soap and tie a weight to one end of the wick, placing it in the center of the mold. Add dry dye or wax crayons to the straightened paraffin mass. Pour in essential oil or fragrance. Then slowly pour the paraffin into the prepared mold in a thin stream. After which the candle, made of paraffin, must be left in the room until completely dry.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of the candle include the good melting of a paraffin candle. The synthetic material melts perfectly and takes any shape. Paraffin also combines well with dyes, for example, when mixed with fat dyes it gives a rich, bright color.
The only thing you should pay attention to when adding dyes and flavors is that you don’t need to get carried away with them. For the simple reason that when burning a paraffin candle, an excess of dye can release harmful, toxic substances and create carbon deposits on the wick. A large number highlight flavoring bad smell when burning.
One more positive thing What you can take advantage of when making candles is their versatility and unlimited scope for imagination. During production, paraffin candles are added with metal, colored chips, and decorated in various ways using glass. Silicone, glass, and metal molds are used in the form of paraffin candle molds.
The disadvantages of candles made from paraffin include their inability to maintain a certain shape for a long time. So, after a short amount of time, candles made of pure paraffin become deformed, especially at high temperatures. To avoid this, experienced candle makers add stearin, beeswax or mineral wax, ceresin or ozokerite.
Also, unpleasant properties that arise when using candles include soot and acrid smoke. When the following negative signs appear, the conclusion arises that an unrefined synthetic material was used when making such a candle. And, therefore, the composition of the candle contains a significant proportion of mineral impurities. Soaking the candle wick in ammonium chloride can help in such a situation.
Useful properties of candles
The material in question has beneficial properties for a person. Scientists came to this discovery relatively recently. In their opinion, paraffin candles made with eucalyptus or thyme essential oils have the ability to destroy pathogenic bacteria. Scientists and researchers have come to the conclusion that it’s all about the correct concentration of oils in the miraculous candle. For the simple reason that the base of essential oil is turpentine, and our grandmothers have heard a lot about the healing properties of this material. So in the near future, thanks to the burning of candles, it will be possible to eliminate huge amount microorganisms harmful to human health.
Also, heated paraffin helps improve blood circulation and accelerates the healing process of wounds, significantly improves the functioning of joints. Treatment with synthetic material is often used in the post-traumatic period during rehabilitation after injuries.
When purchasing candles, it is better to verify their origin in order to protect yourself from harmful counterfeits. Nowadays, paraffin candles are very often made to reduce production costs and simplify the process itself. But paraffin is a chemical product and cannot be called harmless, unlike natural wax, from which high quality wax candles are made.
Paraffin candles
Paraffin is a synthetic substance that is obtained from petroleum and a mixture of hydrocarbons. To produce paraffin candles, the following is added to the substance:
- chemical wax substitutes;
- fragrances;
- other non-natural components.
Because of this composition, paraffin candles are harmful to health. When burned, they release benzene and toluene into the air, which do not have time to burn due to the low combustion temperature. The entry of benzene into the human body is fraught with sleep disturbances, weakness and dizziness. When regularly entering the body through the respiratory tract, the functioning of the kidneys, liver, nervous and circulatory systems is disrupted, and diseases of the blood and bone marrow begin to develop. When inhaled, toluene also immediately affects the nervous system, and then reaches the bloodstream.
Wax candles
Wax is a waste product of bees, produced by their glands to build cellular cells. The production of wax candles does not require the addition of any unnatural components, and therefore does not cause harm to health. Such candles burn smoothly, do not emit any harmful substances into the air and do not smoke.
Loading...
