Vegetable gums, resins

F. N. Howes, Vegetable Gums and Resins, Chronica Botanica, Waltham, Mass., 1969. 

Howes, F.N. (1 949) Vegetable gums and resins. Chronica Botanica. Waltham, Massachusetts. 

Material of Organic Origin— Amber, Resins, Vegetable Gum, Linseed Oil, Wax... 

Gambogia. Gamboge. Stalagmitis cambogioides. Gummi resina. The gum resin. Obtained also from some other vegetables. 

Gums, vegetable Hydrocarbon resins Hydroxy propyl cellulose Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose acetate succinate (enteric)... 

The step polymers that are treated in this text are cellulose, starch, vegetable gums, nylon, epoxy resins, phenol- methanal network polymers, and most polymeric liquid crystals. The reactions which form these polymers are summarized in Table 3. For the synthetic polymers of Table 3, there are often several reactions which produce the polymer. Only one representative reaction is shown in the Table. Note that all of these reactions involve two functional groups on different molecules reacting to form another link and ultimately thereby form a polymer. 

Traditional use The plant has been nsed in Central Asian folk medicine since ancient times, as an anticonvulsant, vermifuge, and to treat some nervous diseases. The gum-resin is used in Chinese medicine as a restorative and tonic for hysterics, neurasthenia and vegetative neurosis, and to treat some skin diseases and common colds, as an expectorant and anticonvulsant, and mixed with other drug substances to treat lung mberculosis, exudative diathesis, lymphadenitis, and osteitis. Avicenna used this plant to treat tumors, jaundice, and other Aver diseases, as well as stomach, kidney, and spleen diseases, and as a diuretic and hemostatic for uterine bleeding (Khalmatov and Khabibov 1976 Kurmukov and Akhmedkhodzhaeva 1994). 

Vauquelin, partly in collaboration with Fourcroy, discovered several important organic compounds. They distinguished a number of proximate constituents Yourcroy %principes immediats) in vegetables, such as acids, oils, camphor, gum, resin, tannin, starch, fibre, cork, caoutchouc, and extractive (a product of extraction with cold water and evaporation). Several definite compounds which had previously been obtained but the existence of which was in doubt were confirmed. Among these was malic acid and its salts. Sodium malate (with other salts of organic acids) was obtained by Donald Monro in 1767 and the acid from apples by Scheele in 1785 (see p. 232). The acid and its salts were studied by Fourcroy and Vauquelin. Vauquelin showed that the sorbic acid isolated from mountain-ash berries by Donovan is malic acid (the modern sorbic acid is a different substance) Vauquelin s elementary analysis of malic acid was inaccurate. 

Maiden J H 1901 The gums, resins and vegetable exudations of Australia. J Proc R Soc N S Wales 35 161-212... 

Howes (1949) Howes, F.N. Vegetable Gums and Resins Waltham, Massachusetts (1949)... 

If you trace the word resin back far enough, you ll find that it was originally defined as a low molecular weight, natural polymer that is an exudate of (it exudes from) vegetable or non-vegetable matter. Examples are rosin (from pine trees), shellac (from insects), and both frankincense and myrrh (aromatic gums from an East African and an Asian species of tree). Resins like these do not flow if heat and pressure are applied, like plastics do. They decompose or melt. (This definition of resin is obsolete in commerce today.)... 

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