Lacca

Unlike other natural resins, shellac [9000-59-3] is derived from the hardened secretion of the lac insect (species l ccifer (Tachardia) lacca Kerr (family Coccidae), also known as Kerns lacca (Kerr)). Shellac is a refined grade of the cmde lac secretion and is the most widely known lac product. Therefore, shellac has been accepted as the common generic term. Over 50% of the world s supply is produced in the Indian provinces of Bihar and Orissa, with the remainder originating in adjacent areas of southeast Asia such as Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, and Myanmar. 

Waxes are the principal component in traditional varnishes such as shellac, a wax made by the cochineal insect Tachardia lacca. 

Oaks and especially Quercus coccifera are host plants for Kermes ilicis, producing the red kermes pigment. In Asia, the Laccifer lacca insects that grow on trees like Schleichera oleosa, Ziziphus mauritiana, and Butea monsperma are the sources of the red lac dye. - ... 

Shellac Secretion of Kama lacca insects Varnish... 

Shellac. Shellac is outstanding in that it is the only resin of animal origin. Shellac is a yellow, orange, or brown solid derived from lac, the secretion of the scale-like Kerria lacca insects that inhabit trees in areas of India and Thailand. To obtain the resin, twigs encrusted with the insect s secretion are cut down from the trees, the incrustation is removed from the twigs, coarsely... 

Lac is derived from lac resin, the hardened secretion of the lac insect, the only known resin of animal origin. The lac insect, Kerria lacca, formerly known as Laccifer lacca, is a natural parasite of a variety of trees in large areas of southern Asia. Three different products are derived from lac resin lac dye, lac wax, and shellac. To obtain the lac resin, twigs encrusted with the secretion of the insects are cut down from the trees, then the incrustation is separated from the twigs, washed with water, and filtered. The wax and shellac, which are insoluble in water, remain as a solid residue of the filtration, while the soluble red dye (lac) is obtained as a powder when the water from the filtered solution is evaporated. The coloring matter in lac dye is an organic compound known as laccaic acid. 

Carmine belongs to the anthraquinone class of compounds and several other chemically closely related compounds are also used as colorants.25 Kermes is a well known colorant in Europe. It is obtained from the insects, Kermes ilicis or Kermococcus vermilis, which grow on oak trees. It contains kermisic acid, the aglycone of carminic acid, and its isomer ceroalbolinic acid. Its properties are very similar to carmine. Lac is a red colorant obtained from the insect Laccifera lacca which is found on several families of trees in India and Malaysia. The lac insects are better known for their production of shellac. They contain a complex mixture of anthraquinones. Alkanet is a red pigment from the roots of Alkanna tinctoria Taush and Alchusa tinctoria Lom. All three have been cleared for food use in Europe but not in the US. 

Shellac, which was used by Edison for molding his first photograph records and is still used as an alcoholic solution (spirit varnish) for coating wood, is a cross-linked polymer consisting largely of derivatives of aleuritic acid (9,10,16-trihydroxyhexadecanoic acid). Shellac is excreted by small coccid insects Coccus lacca), which feed on the twigs of trees in Southeast Asia. Over 2 million insects must be dissolved in ethanol to produce 1 kg of shellac. 

Coccus laccae [= Laccifer lacca Kerr], Ins., associated to certain trees in India MI... 

Gum Lac or Shellac. It is obtd from a resin secreted by the insect Laccifer lacca and deposited on the twigs of various species of trees in India, Siam and Indo-China. The collected material is dried, ground and washed to remove the adherent red dye. 

The female Indian lac bug, Lacifer lacca, had captured Baekeland s interest. This Uttle creature was the source of all the world s shellac. It sucked tree sap and converted it into a resin. The resin was scraped off the trees and purified into a substance that, when applied to wood, provided a nice shiny finish. But now, within the burgeoning field of electricity, shellac had found a brand new use it was an ideal insulating material. Unfortunately, it took fifteen thousand insects about six months to produce a pound of shellac. What the world needed was a cheap source of synthetic shellac, and Baekeland was going to find it. 

Lac.—Laque, French GummUack, German,—This resin is produced by the female of a small insect—the coccus lacca, or coccus ficus—which feeds end fecundates upon tbe banyan Or religious tree of the Hindoos, and several allied plants, such as the/m indieus, ficus... 

The lignols are synthesized within cells and are thought to move out into cell walls, possibly as phenolic glycosides.19°C/195 Cell wall peroxidases or laccas-es initiate polymerization.173 The previously discussed lignans do not tend to polymerize, but other dimeric... 

Laccaic acid has been designated (Cl Natural Red 25 Cl 75450). Lac dye ranks as ihe most ancient of animal dyes. It is found in lac. the resinous secretion of a eery small insect. Coccus laccae. found growing in India and Southeast Asia. Lac dye is actually a mixture of acids derived front 2-phenylanthraquinonc... 

SHELLAC. A secretion or excretion of the lac insect, Coccus lacca, found in the forests of Assam and Siam. Freed from wood it is called seed lac." It is soluble in alkaline solutions such as ammonia, sodium borate, sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide, and also in various organic chemicals. When dissolved in acetone or alcohol, shellac yields the familiar shellac varnish of superior gloss and hardness. Orange shellac is bleached with sodium hypochlorite solution to form white shellac. See also Paints and Coatings. 

Insects also produce polymers. For example, silk is made by a caterpillar called a silkworm. One silkworms cocoon can contain as much as 900 to 3,000 feet (300 to 900 m) of silk thread. An insect called the Laccifer lacca—or just Lac, for short—lives on trees in India and Southeast Asia. The insects drink the sap from the trees they are living on and produce a polymer that is used to make lacquer and shellac. People use these varnishes to coat and protect ships, houses, wood floors, furniture, and other objects made of wood. 

The red insect dyes from Dactylopius coccus COSTA (American cochineal), Kermococcus vermilio PLANCHON (kermes), and Kerria lacca KERR (lac dye) can also be readily distinguished by thin-layer chromatographic comparison. 

Kerria lacca KERR (Coccus laccae, Laccifer lacca KERR) (Coccidae) (C.I. Natural Red 25)... 

Shellac, Bleached, occurs as an off white to tan, amorphous, granular resin. Shellac is obtained from lac, the resinous secretion of the insect Laccifer (Tachardia) lacca Kerr (Fam. Coc-cidae). Shellac, Bleached, is obtained by dissolving the lac in aqueous sodium carbonate, followed by bleaching with sodium hypochlorite, precipitation of the bleached lac with a dilute sulfuric acid solution, and drying. It is freely (though very slowly) soluble in alcohol, insoluble in water, and slightly soluble in acetone and in ether. Shellac, Bleached, is usually dissolved in a suitable solvent for application to food products. 

PROP From the resinous secretion, called lac, of the insect Uaccifer (Tachardia) lacca Kerr (Fam. Coccidai). Off white, amorphous, granular solid. Sol in ale insol in water sltiy sol in acetone, ether. 

Shellac was in use by 1856. It is another natural polymer and is based on a secretion from an insect, Laccifer lacca - the lac insect - which is a plant parasite. To produce shellac, the secretion and the insects are scraped off plants and filtered, resulting in a hard, brittle thermoplastic material. It is mixed with wood flour or a mineral filler, pressed, and steamed, dyed, and rolled into sheets to be moulded. 

Lacquer differs entirely from varnish and lac, although the terms may be mistakenly interchanged in the literature. Varnish is a natural resin dissolved in a solvent. After the solution has been applied, the solvent volatilizes, leaving a shiny glaze. Lac is the deposit of the Coccus lacca insect, which is collected from certain trees in East India. This deposit is refined and dissolved in a solvent. Both varnish and lac coatings are much less stable than the coating found on oriental lacquer ware. 

JP Purified shellac, White shellac PhEur Lacca USPNF Shellac... 

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