Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Wax: (1) A lipid which is an ester of a fatty acid and a long chain alcohol (usually a reduced fatty acid). A wax (which contains just one fatty acid/alcohol ester functional group per molecule) should not be confused with a  triglyceride (which contains three fatty acid/alcohol esters per molecule).


Generic wax structure.
R and R' = unbranched hydrocarbon chains.
  
Myricyl cerotate, a wax found
in beeswax and carnauba wax.

(2) A hydrocarbon (or mixture of hydrocarbons) that is solid but malleable at room temperature, such as paraffin wax.




Blocks of paraffin wax.
  
Canned peaches.
Paraffin wax is used for home canning, and is often available in grocery stores.