Wax molecules
What are Cera, Wax, and Paraffin?
Introduction: In
this article you’ll
discover the reason why
hot scraping doesn’t
change the wax molecule as
well as the difference
between basic paraffin and
Cera and our research
approach in producing more
resistant Cera dedicated
to long-distance runners.
But first let’s do a
quick revision of basic
chemical concepts.
What is Matter?
Matter can be
characterised as it
occupies a volume, has
mass and properties
connected to its physical
states: solid, liquid and
gas.
If matter includes only
identical atoms, it is
said to be an element (carbon,
hydrogen, aluminium, iron,
oxygen, fluorine…).
If matter consists of
different combined
elements, it is said to be
a molecule, which in turn
can be combined to form
other substances.
Thus, by definition wax is
a “compound” of a
number of molecules (bound
atoms), which are long
sequences of carbon atoms
bound to hydrogen atoms.
Each of these molecules
plays an important role in
general wax
characteristics.
Another important fact is the molecular structure.
An atom consists of a
nucleus containing
neutrons and protons,
around which circulate
negative electrons. The
concept of an electron and
its charge will enable you
to understand all the rest,
especially
the way wax changes its state
(from solid to liquid and
visa versa), and learn the
reason why the basic
molecule remains unchanged.
What are the possible changes in the state of matter?
A solid can melt, a liquid
can evaporate or solidify,
a gas can condensate in
liquid or even cool down
and compress to a solid.
As a general rule, solid
matter melts when affected
by heat.
In solid state atoms and
molecules are very close
to each other and this
stimulates forces of
interaction.
When solid wax is heated,
atoms start to vibrate and
move, shifting faster and
faster as the temperature
rises. At the melting
point all interactions are
broken. Molecules become
much more mobile relative
to each other. During this
phase molecules start to
trickle down and diffuse
with any other material.
Do molecules modify with the change of matter state?
NO, matter state
changes don’t modify the
nature of molecules, they
only influence their
organisation. Molecules
can revert to their
initial state and change
their state this way
several times without any
consequence to their
characteristics. So, hot
scraping just after wax
application by iron is
simply a mechanical way of
applying waxes to clean
structures. Whether you
let wax cool down or not
in no way influences its
composition!
What happens when wax starts to smoke?
When iron is too hot, you
can partly burn wax.
Overheated wax molecules
pass to a liquid state and
then to gas. Atom ties
inside the molecule start
to break and form bonds
with the air oxygen. This
reaction creates two
different chemical
products, water (vapour)
and carbon dioxide (gas).
This a one-way process,
new substances cannot be
transformed back to
wax.
CH-waxes without additives
This explication is only
valid for CH waxes in
blocks without additives.
LF and HF waxes
As for LF and HF waxes
that include PTFE polymers
(called fluorine), when
you exceed the “PTFE”
melting point, that is
320°C, this polymer
starts to decompose and
finally transforms into
vapour and forms bonds
with oxygen. This leads to
the creation of a highly
toxic gaseous product. The
maximum temperature of the
iron is 180°C, so you
shouldn’t worry. The
only way to overheat these
waxes is to expose them to
high temperatures of
flames, heat guns or
cigarette smoke…
Cera
Once you grasped the first
part of our article where
we explain wax composition
and its molecular
structure (CH, LF and HF),
you can easily understand
the composition of the
Cera molecule.
If block wax is visibly
homogeneous, this is
partly due to affinity
between contained
hydrogenous molecules.
Cera, on the contrary,
results from a synthesis
of two or more different
molecules' bonding. Thus,
one or several hydrogenous
molecules are soldered to
the fluorinated chain.
Theoretically, chemical
bonds are strong, though
sometimes overheating can
lead to their
decomposition. Any chain
level can be subject to
bond breaks. And any
molecule transformed into
gas is hazardous to health.
That is why you should
imperatively wear a
panoramic gas mask
protector (covering your
face, nose and eyes) and
special gloves.
As for our CeraMax
molecule, we have
developed the hydrogenous
part using our unique
device for wax and Cera
wear control. By
reorganising and modifying
its length, we have given
preference to its
resistance to abrasion and
its high base adhesive
power, while maintaining a
high level in speed and
acceleration
characteristics. This
relation SPEED/RESISTANCE,
which we propose, has
allowed us to be the only
brand offering final
products for racing with a
longevity guaranty. Their
application remains the
same, though a bit longer
brushing claims special
attention. Before
transforming into a liquid
the product passes from a
solid state to half-solid,
so to-and-fro motions of
the iron enable a better
saturation of your ski
base structures.
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exclusive owner of this
article’s contents which
reflect the results of our
research and development.
If you want to use the
whole or a part of this
text for pedagogical
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reference (according to
DRAGONSKI’s research
work). Dragonski is not
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