Crystallization of a multiparaffinic wax in normal tetradecane

The thermodynamic and structural studies of the formation of solid deposits in solutions, that consist of a commercial multiparaffinic wax in the norm al tetradecane, used as solvent, are carried out by X-ray diffraction as th e temperature decreases from the liquid state, chromatography analyses of ( liquid and solid) phases separated at equilibrium, and simple and different ial thermal analyses. The experimental results highlight that the first dep osits, observed just below the liquidus point, form a single orthorhombic m ulti-C, solid solution that consists of all the n-alkanes of the commercial wax from C-20 to C-42; the thermodynamic behaviour of (wax + C-14) mixture s in the course of the crystallization resembles binary eutectic solidifica tion of the C-14 solvent on the one hand, and the wax as a single pseudo-co mponent on the other hand. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.