Pimaric acid is a

carboxylic acid In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an Substituent, R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is often written as or , sometimes as with R referring to an organyl ...

that is classified as a resin acid. It is a major component of the rosin obtained from pine trees. When heated above 100 °C, pimaric acid converts to abietic acid, which it usually accompanies in mixtures like

rosin Rosin (), also known as colophony or Greek pitch (), is a resinous material obtained from pine trees and other plants, mostly conifers. The primary components of rosin are diterpenoids, i.e., C20 carboxylic acids. Rosin consists mainly of r ...

. It is soluble in

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

acetone Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone) is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly Volatile organic compound, volatile, and flammable liquid with a charact ...

, and

ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group, a single oxygen atom bonded to two separate carbon atoms, each part of an organyl group (e.g., alkyl or aryl). They have the general formula , where R and R� ...

s. The compound is colorless, but almost invariably samples are yellow or brown owing to air oxidation. As a mixture with abietic acid, it is often hydrogenated, esterified, or otherwise modified to produce materials of commerce. left, Abietic acid is closely related to and more common than pimaric acid, which is an isomer

References

Carboxylic acids Diterpenes Phenanthrenes Vinyl compounds {{OrganicAcid-stub

See also

References