Plant resins are exudates secreted in resin channels by certain plants. Coniferous conifers produce rosin and elemi, acacia produces gum arabic, Burseraceae gives resins of frankincense (olibanum) or myrrh, Thuja gives sandarac etc ...
Once in contact with air, the liquid resin which has exuded begins to harden under the effect of two phenomena: the first physical by evaporation of volatile substances, the second chemical by polymerization.
The chemical compositions are diverse and varied: terpenes, rosinic acids, salts of acidic polysaccharides, etc.
It is possible to perform structural analyzes by Pyrolysis/GCMS to identify and distinguish them.
Resin Type | Example |
Pragmatic (traditional) | Oleoresins (various turpentines, Canada balsam, elemis) - Resins proper (amber, copal, dammar, rosin, accroid resins, mastic, sandarac, dragon's blood) - Balms (Meccan balsam, Peru balsam, Tolu balsam , benzoin, styrax, storax, liquidambar, Copahu balsam, sweetgum) - Gums (Senegal gum, arabic gum, nostras gum, tragacanth gum) - Tanniferous gums - Resin gums (gamboma, asafoetida, galbanum, sagapenum, myrrh , frankincense, opoponax, aloe) - Latex |
Chemical | Ester resins, resin resins, resin acid resins, resinol resins, aliphatic resins, glucoresins, chromoresins, enzyme resins, milk resins, gums, tan gums, gum resins, latex |
Botanical | Phanerogams gymnosperms (copals, turpentines (pine, fir, abies, larch), amber, Burgundy pitch – Phanerogams) - Angiosperms (dragon's blood, aloes, accroid resins, rubber, gamboge) - Dipterocarps (camphor, Gurjun balm , dammar) - Turpentines (Chios turpentine, mastic, myrrh, Japanese lacquer, incense, elemis) - Legumes (gums, balsams, copals) |
Lombard Rational | Secretions of conifers (e.g. turpentines), copals and oleoresin of Copahu, resins of dipterocarps, resins of terebinthaceae (e.g. turpentine of Chios), balsams of papilionaceae, gum-resins, resins of saxifragaceae, resins of styraceae, various resins, resins animals, gums, latex |