Turpentine (gum)

Description

A sticky, viscous yellow sap obtained from conifers. Gum turpentine is also called Gum thus to avoid confusion with the volatile gum spirits of turpentine that is obtained from the steam distillation of the sap. The crude turpentine contains about 65 percent rosin (solid residue) and 18 percent oil of turpentine (volatile portion).

Synonyms and Related Terms

resina de confera (Esp.); gum thus; crude turpentine

Physical and Chemical Properties

Soluble in ethanol, chloroform, ether, glacial acetic acid. Insoluble in water.

Resources and Citations

• Richard S. Lewis, Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 9957

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998