Turpentine Pine Tree Resin Products: Why So Valuable?

Chemistry, Plants
[caption id="attachment_16454" align="alignright" width="380"] Pine resin. CCA 3.0 SA Unported Maksim.[/caption] Turpentine was once a very common household solvent. It seemed as if every household had a can in their garage. Turpentine is produced by distillation of pine tree resin. The solid remaining after distillation is called rosin. Doubtless the decreased household use of turpentine is because of an increase in water-based products such as paints, replacing oil-based equivalents. Petroleum based solvents have contributed to the decline. Solvent Only? Still, turpentine is more than just a useful solvent. It can be separated into fragments sometimes referred to as isolates. The primary isolate is pine oil, which is used, among other things, in household cleaners. Turpentine yields compounds that are useful in chemical synthesis. Chemicals readily available from nature that can…
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