DAMMAR

DAMMAR, Resina Dammar (ФУII), a resin that flows from cracks or incisions in Shorea Wiesneri Stapf and other Shorea species, family Dipterocarpaceae, growing on the Moluccas Islands. It consists of dammarolic acid C₅₄H₇₇O₃(OH)(COOH)₂ (23%), alpha-dammarresene (soluble in alcohol) C₂₀H₁₇O (40-70%), beta-dammarresene C₃₁H₅₂O (soluble in chloroform and ether) (up to 22.5%), a small amount of essential oil and other components; ash content up to 3.5%. Many varieties of D. are found on the market; the so-called white resin is accepted in medicine - pieces of various sizes, round or "oblong" shape, yellowish or reddish-white, transparent, on the surface as if dusty, with a conchoidal fracture, easily crushed into powder, almost odorless; slightly sticky between the fingers. The resin dissolves well in chloroform, benzene, and carbon disulfide, less so in alcohol, ether, gasoline, acetic acid; in a solution of chloral hydrate (80%) it swells strongly without dissolving (difference from many other resins). According to Ph. VII, D. powder, heated to 100°, should not become soft. Dieterich, Busse, Schroetter, however, claim that at the temperature of boiling water and even lower, D. softens. Specific weight 1.040-1.120; acid number 20-30. D. is used in pharmacy in the manufacture of plasters and in technology for the manufacture of varnishes.