chemistry

Jojoba oil

Jojoba oil is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jojoba oil rather than just read about it. In short: Jojoba oil ( ) is the liquid produced in the seed of the jojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis), a shrub which is native to southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico. The oil makes up approximately 50% of the jojoba seed by weight.

Key takeaways

Jojoba oil belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jojoba oil to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jojoba oil from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jojoba oil ( ) is the liquid produced in the seed of the jojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis), a shrub which is native to southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico. The oil makes up approximately 50% of the jojoba seed by weight. The terms "jojoba oil" and "jojoba wax" are often used interchangeably because the wax visually appears to be a mobile oil, but as a wax it is composed almost entirely (~97%) of mono-esters of long-chain fatty acids (wax ester) and alcohols (isopropyl jojobate), accompanied by only a tiny fraction of triglyceride esters. This composition accounts for its extreme shelf-life stability and extraordinary resistance to high temperatures, compared with true vegetable oils.

History The O'odham Native American tribe extracted the oil from jojoba seeds to treat sores and wounds. The collection and processing of the seed from naturally occurring stands marked the beginning of jojoba domestication in the early 1970s. In 1943, natural resources of the U.S, including the jojoba oil, were used during war as additives to motor oil, transmission oil, and differential gear oil. Machine guns were lubricated and maintained with jojoba.

Appearance Unrefined jojoba oil appears as a clear golden liquid at room temperature with a slightly nutty odor. Refined jojoba oil is colorless and odorless. The melting point of jojoba oil is approximately 10 °C (50 °F) and the iodine value is approximately 80. Jojoba oil is relatively shelf-stable when compared with other vegetable oils mainly because it contains few triglycerides, unlike most other vegetable oils such as grape seed oil and coconut oil. It has an oxidative stability index of approximately 60, which means that it is more shelf-stable than safflower oil, canola oil, almond oil, or squalene but less than castor oil and coconut oil.

Chemistry

The fatty acid content of jojoba oil can vary significantly depending on the soil and climate in which the plant is grown, as well as when it is harvested and how the oil is processed. In general, it contains a high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids, primarily 11-eicosenoic acid (table).

Uses Being derived from a plant that is slow-growing and difficult to cultivate, jojoba oil is mainly used for small-scale applications such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Overall, it is used as a replacement for whale oil and its derivatives, such as cetyl alcohol. The ban on importing whale oil to the U.S. in 1971 led to the discovery that jojoba oil is "in many regards superior to sperm whale oil for applications in the cosmetics and other industries". Jojoba oil is found as an additive in many cosmetic products, especially those marketed as being made from natural ingredients. In particular, such products commonly containing jojoba are lotions and moisturizers, hair shampoos and conditioners.

See also Cetoleic acid Oleochemical Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed powder

Photo gallery

References

External links International Jojoba Export Council Naqvi, H.H., I.P. Ting (1990). "Jojoba: A unique liquid wax producer from the American desert". Advances in new crops. Timber Press, Portland, OR. pp. 247–251. Description and chemical structure of jojoba oil Can This Unassuming Little Desert Shrub Really Save The World? - The first article from 1977

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jojoba oil

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jojoba oil claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jojoba oil before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jojoba oil ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jojoba oil

In research: Jojoba oil appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jojoba oil in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jojoba oil is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Components and derivatives of jojoba, Cosmetics chemicals, Vegetable oils, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jojoba oil outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jojoba oil in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jojoba oil means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jojoba oil out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jojoba oil in simple terms?

Why does Jojoba oil matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jojoba oil?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jojoba oil.