Organic Chemistry: Concepts and Applications - Headley Allan D. 2020

Synthetic Polymers and Biopolymers
20.19 Properties and Reactions of Waxes

Wax can be divided into three categories: animal-, plant-, and petroleum-derived waxes; the most common animal wax is beeswax. Plants secrete wax through their leaves as a way to control evaporation. Petroleum-derived waxes come from petroleum; we are all familiar with candles, which is a form of wax. Since waxes are really esters, they can undergo hydrolysis reaction that we have seen before. An example of a base hydrolysis of an ester is shown in Reaction (20-75).

(20-75)