RESEARCH Pine Gum News N e w resin acid isolated f r o m pine gum may o p e n n e w field to n a v a l stores chemists A
It's b e t t e r t o g e t
larger-thanlaboratory amounts of a organic
Skilled professional person nel, with their w i d e experi ence in producing some 3500 Eastman Organic Chemicals, will be glad to help you. And our great variety of equipment for all types of organic reac tions is at your service for bulk production. For information o r a quota tion, write to Distillation Prod ucts Industries, Eastman Organic Chemicals Department, Roch ester 3, Ν . Υ.
SPi DISTILLATION PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES » α division of EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
3908
C&EN
SEPT.
19,
1955
NEW RESIN
ACID has
been
dis
covered in pine gum. Called palustric acid, since it was first found in the gum from the Iongleaf pine—pinus palustris, it may have a far reaching effect in extending utilization of rosin. The new material is of the abietic acid type, which represents about 5 0 % of the acid portion of rosin. This group is also responsible for the vary ing composition and common proper ties of rosin. Three other acids—Lpimaric, neoabietic, and L-abietic— have been known for some time. Palustric acid, according to chem ists at the Naval Stores Station, Olustee, Fla., is a major component of pine gum rosin. It represents 10% of the acidic portion of slash and iongleaf gum and 16 to 19% of the acids in gum rosin. In describing the discovery, the Florida chemists pointed out that re searchers for the past 100 years have attempted various means to isolate, identify, and characterize the many components of pine gum and rosin. Most of these attempts have been fu tile. However, a successful method of isolating pure resin acids has been by the recrystallization of certain amine salts of the resin acid from suita ble solvents. Since similar separation problems of fatty acid chemistry have been solved by partition chromatog raphy, using an amine as the immobile phase, the method of Ramsey and Pat terson was applied to straight chain fatty acids of C n to C 1 9 mixtures of known resin acids. This technique di vided previously characterized resin acids into four groups: (1) mixture of di- and tetrahydroresin acids, ( 2 ) D pimaric, iso-D-pimaric, L-pimaric, and L-abietic acids, (3) neoabietic acid, and (4) dehydroabietic aicd. When this chromatographic tech nique was applied to rosin and oleoresin, five peaks were obtained which did not correspond to peaks of pre viously isolated rosin acids. Eventu ally, the naval stores chemists were able to isolate the palustric acid by repeated recrystallization from the third eluant with methanol. Isolation of palustric acid is claimed to give a better understanding of the
reactions of gum and rosin. It has been identified as an intermediate in the heat and acid isomerization of L pimaric acid to L-abietic acid. It does not react with maleic anhydride at room temperature, but at elevated tem peratures it reacts to form an addition product that is identical with prod ucts obtained by the reaction of L pimaric acid and maleic anhydride. A complete study of these isomerizations will furnish a more comprehensive un derstanding of the changes which pine gums and rosin undergo when sub jected to certain treatments.
Built on Heavy Base National Distiller's solid foundation in h e a v y chemi cals is basis for new products DURING
ITS
RELATIVELY
SHORT tirne
in the chemical field National Distiiiers has acquired a solid foundation in heavy chemical manufacture. Now it is up to the company's research staff to develop a group of products based on its heavy chemicals. Already, pilot quantities of the first such product, USI Isosebacic acid (C&EN, May 2 3 , page 2242) are on the market. Center of National Distillers' research activity is its Cincinnati laboratory. From a small beginning in 1950 when the company set up a laboratory for work on metallic sodium, it has grown into a $2 million facility with space for 130 technically trained people. This space is being filled quite rapidly. Latest addition is the pilot plant, completed this summer at a cost of about $500,000. It is a general pur pose pilot plant, not designed for any specific chemical. Its first product will be isosebacic acid, pilot planted at first at the company's U. S. Industrial Chemicals division in Baltimore. The new building will consist of two bays 40 by 40 feet in area. One is divided into three stories b y steel grat ing floors. A grating and concrete floor divides the other bay into two stories. A basement provides space for a machine shop and air conditioning equipment as well as the boiler, rated at 2450 pounds of 150 p.s.i.g. steam per hour. Compressed air, 100 p.s.i.g., and 4-mm. vacuum services are also available. Offices and laboratory space needed for control of pilot processes are air conditioned.
