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Paraffin wax (CAS 8002-74-2) is a mixture of long-chain saturated hydrocarbons, typically above C20. It is not a single molecular species: the catalogue entry covers a material whose composition varies with grade and source, so the polarity question has to be answered at the level of the structural motif rather than with a single dipole moment.
The repeat motif is –CH2– with no polar group, so the wax is nonpolar and hydrophobic; the individual molecules are flexible, which further averages any small local dipole toward zero.
That is the whole of the answer needed in practice: for a material of this kind, what matters is whether the surface and the bulk present polar sites that can hydrogen-bond, coordinate water or dissolve ions — not the dipole of one molecule.
Because the composition is defined by a specification rather than by a structural formula, the practical description of Paraffin wax starts from that specification: grade, molecular-weight or viscosity window, and the permitted range of any polar impurities.
Polarity controls the properties that buyers actually test — water uptake, wettability, adhesion, printability, compatibility with polar additives, and behaviour as a barrier or as a thickener.
No dipole moment, relative permittivity or partition coefficient is quoted. Those descriptors are defined for a single molecular species, and quoting them for a polymer or a refinery fraction would imply a precision that does not exist.
Where the material is used as an ingredient, the grade specification — viscosity, molecular weight, degree of substitution or degree of hydrolysis — is the variable that moves the properties, more than the composition itself.
No GHS classification is asserted here; none was retrieved from the public record used to build this article. Confirm the classification for the specific grade from the supplier’s safety data sheet.
Specify Paraffin wax by grade, viscosity or molecular-weight window, water content and the documentation required for the intended use — and sample the actual lot, because for a variable-composition material the grade name alone does not fix the properties.
The comparison below is deliberately qualitative. A polymeric or mixed material cannot be placed on the same numeric dipole axis as a molecular compound, so the table states the structural motif and the expected bulk behaviour instead of quoting numbers that would not be comparable.
| Compound | Dipole Moment | Approx. Gas εr | log P / XlogP | Water Solubility Behavior | Industrial Sourcing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paraffin wax | not applicable | not applicable | not applicable | See grade specification | Guidechem supply listing |
| A nonpolar hydrocarbon motif | ≈0 D | ≈1.0008 (gas, e.g. methane) | logP > 3 | Hydrophobic | — |
| A polar, hydrogen-bonding motif | ≈1.8 D | ≈1.001 (gas, dilute) | logP < 1 | Hydrophilic | — |
| An ionic motif | not defined | not applicable | not applicable | Dissolves by dissociation | — |
| A fluorinated motif | ≈0 D by symmetry (e.g. PTFE repeat) | — | — | Very low surface energy | — |
The point of the table is the axis, not the entries: for materials, polarity is a surface and bulk property determined by which motifs are present at the interface, and it is controlled by grade and by surface treatment rather than by synthesis.
“With Paraffin wax there is no single molecule to point at. The useful statement is about the motif — The repeat motif is –CH2– with no polar group, so the wax is nonpolar and hydrophobic; the individual molecules are flexible, which further averages any small local dipole toward zero — and about the grade, because the grade is what actually fixes water uptake, wettability and compatibility. Anyone asking for a dipole moment of a polymer or a refinery fraction is asking for a number that does not exist.”
Regulatory status depends on the grade and on the intended use, and it is substance- and jurisdiction-specific. For CAS 8002-74-2 the authoritative public sources are the ECHA registered-substance database and, for food or pharmaceutical use, the applicable food-contact or pharmacopoeial monograph.
No GHS hazard statements are quoted for this entry, because none were retrieved from the public record used here and because the classification of a polymeric or mixed material is grade-specific.
No occupational exposure limit is quoted. Where a dust or mist limit applies it is usually set for the nuisance-dust or oil-mist category rather than for the chemical itself, and it must be taken from the jurisdiction’s own tables.
For compliance purposes the polarity of the material is relevant mainly to cleaning and release: a nonpolar surface is harder to clean with water and easier to release, and a polar one is the reverse.
A purchase enquiry for Paraffin wax (CAS 8002-74-2) should state the grade, viscosity or molecular-weight window, water limit, packaging, and the documentation required for the intended application (industrial, food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical).
Confirm the Guidechem supply listing for current availability and compare lots on the certificate of analysis: for a variable-composition material, the certificate is the only place where the actual composition is fixed.
Looking for commercial bulk supplies or technical documentation for Paraffin wax (CAS 8002-74-2)?
Nonpolar as a material. The repeat motif is –CH2– with no polar group, so the wax is nonpolar and hydrophobic; the individual molecules are flexible, which further averages any small local dipole toward zero.
Because this entry is not a single molecular species. A dipole moment is defined for one molecule; for a polymer or a refinery fraction the meaningful statement is about the repeat unit or the dominant motif and about the bulk behaviour.
No. Snyder P′ is defined for conventional liquid chromatographic solvents, which does not cover a polymeric or mixed material.
The repeat motif is –CH2– with no polar group, so the wax is nonpolar and hydrophobic; the individual molecules are flexible, which further averages any small local dipole toward zero.
The grade: viscosity or molecular-weight window, degree of substitution or hydrolysis, water content and the impurity profile. For these materials the grade specification is the composition.
Grade, viscosity or molecular-weight window, water limit, packaging, and the documentation required for the intended application.
From the supplier’s safety data sheet for the specific grade, and from the ECHA record for CAS 8002-74-2. No classification is asserted here.
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