Resin
Description
A solid or semisolid amorphous organic material. Resins are usually high molecular weight materials that fracture conchoidally. Natural resins are clear to translucent brown exudates obtained from trees or insects, such as copal, rosin, sandarac, mastic, dammar, or shellac. Most natural resins are soluble in alcohols, ethers, and carbon disulfide, but insoluble in water. They are used in varnishes, inks and adhesives. Synthetic resins, or polymers, are formed by a chemical reaction between two or more substances. Examples are acrylics, alkyds, vinyls, epoxies, polyesters, polyolefins, phenolics, polystyrene, and cellulose acetate. Synthetic resins are used in plastics, paints, textiles, and adhesives.
Synonyms and Related Terms
résine (Fr.); resina (Esp.; Port.; It.);
Other Properties
Insoluble in water. Most natural resins are soluble in alcohols, ethers and carbon disulfide.
| Density | 1.018-1.186 |
|---|
Hazards and Safety
Combustible with a strong yellow flame and sooty smoke
Comparisons
General Characteristics of Polymers
Sources Checked for Data in Record
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990
- Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
- Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988
- Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000