Crystal structure of fractionally crystallized waxes isolated from crude oil

A petroleum wax has been extracted from crude oil and fractionated into two parts, depending on its solubility in methyl isobutyl ketone–toluene solvent at temperatures of 298 and 313 K. The wax and its two derivatives have been analyzed for composition and crystalline nature using various techniques including gas chromatography, NMR and X-ray diffraction. It has been observed that the crystalline structure of the fractionally precipitated waxes is significantly different from the structure of the parent wax present in the crude oil.