Resin acid

Resin acid refers to any of several related carboxylic acids found in tree resins. Nearly all resin acids have the same basic skeleton: three fused rings having the empirical formula C19H29COOH. Resin acids occur in nature as tacky, yellowish gums consisting of several compounds. They are water-insoluble. A common resin acid is abietic acid. Resin acids are used to produce soaps for diverse applications, but their use is being displaced increasingly by synthetic acids such as 2-ethylhexanoic acid or petroleum-derived naphthenic acids.