Group 4 Project: Chemistry: Surfwax

For the chemistry part of our experiment we will investigate surf wax. We will test two different types of wax, Sticky Bumps and 3e both a waxy solid white wax. Surfboard wax is composed of paraffin and beeswax, often different smells are added to it to make it more attractive. A wax is an alkane, with heavy molecules C₂₀H₄₂ to C₄₀H₈₂.

Surf wax is important when surfing so the surfer is able to stand and stay upright on the board. The use of wax is according to personal preference and environment so for example there will be specific wax for cold and warm seas. Petroleum jelly can be added to the composition of surf wax to make it softer and therefore be ideal for cold water, whilst for tropical water the ideal would be the hardest wax.

The experiments done carried out the following way:

1) 0.5 grams of each; Sticky Bumps and 3e were put inside six different beakers (three for each wax). All beakers had 25 ml of a substances; either water, alcohol or cyclohexane. Each wax was tested once with each of these three. With water and alcohol both waxes didn’t dissolve, however with cyclichexane they did. Sticky Bumps started dissolving in cyclichexane with 1.24 minutes and after five minutes became really milky, whilst 3e only after 5 minutes dissolved, but became less milky than Sticky Bumps.

This shows that waxes are not soluble in water and that is why it is used for surfing. Also that it does not dissolve in alcohol, so to remove it from the surfboard a wax comb, which usually comes together with the wax when bought, should be used. The only chemical that dissolved the wax was cyclichexane, a highly flammable liquid with a detergent-like odor used as a nonpolar solvent for chemical industries. Therefore the best way of removing the old wax from the board is definitely with a wax comb !

2) 0.5 grams of both Sticky Bumps and 3e were put into separate test tubes and both inside a large beaker filled with water and it was heated. Each test tube had its own thermometer, which was used to record the temperature when the wax first started to melt. Sticky Bumps melted before at 48 ⁰C after 5 minutes and 3e melted at 52 ⁰C after 6 minutes. This means that both wax have melting point very close, which means they were probably made to be used in seas with the same range of temperature.