Few people are aware of the great diversity of resin-producing plants or the remarkable roles resins play in the lives of plants and people. Plant Resins tells the whole story about these fascinating plant products.

This reference book provides a comprehensive overview of natural gums, resins, and latexes of plants with a focus on their chemistry, biological activities, and practical uses. The content is divided into five main sections each of which contains chapters contributed from valuable experts in their field. Naturally occuring plant products have quite diverse applications in many different industries. The book aims to highlight the important aspects of plant-based gums, resins and latexes as well as provide a strategic framework for further research and development activities on these bioproducts. It will appeal to a broad audience such as biologists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, food technologists and medical practitioners. It is also a useful resource for research investigators of the healthcare industry, academia and students of biomedical sciences.

Papers presented at the National Workshop on Sustainable Management of Natural Gums and Resins, held at Jabalpur during 21-22 December 2012.

Why are some plants so important to humans? The chemistry of the plants has a lot to do with it! The plant world offers a fascinating way to explore basic chemistry concepts. The spectacular variety of colors, fragrances and other characteristics of plants are driven by the seemingly subtle differences in the structure and properties of organic compounds. Well-known flowers, like daffodils and narcissus, are examples of plants that provide ample perfumes, pigments and poisons as part of their intricate and fascinating chemistry. This second edition retains it accessibility, expanding on the first edition and combining scientific concepts with colorful pictures and stories in simple, clear language. Readers will find introductory information on some chemistry and plant biology. This prepares them for the more complex chemical structures that compose plant substances, many of them of vital importance to humans. The final chapter has been expanded, in particular the sections on medicinal plants and on genetic modification. The end-of chapter references have been thoroughly updated with articles, books, and relevant websites that illustrate the topics discussed. Dr Margareta Sequin, an organic chemist and plant enthusiast, has taught popular undergraduate college level courses on plant chemistry to non-chemistry majors and has led numerous field seminars for the general public. The comments and questions from these audiences and the topics that especially captured people’s interest have greatly shaped this book. The Chemistry of Plants addresses an audience with little previous chemistry knowledge, but will appeal to the expert reader looking for an understanding of more complex plant compounds. It can be used both as a text to introduce organic chemistry as it relates to plants and as a text of reference for more advanced readers.

This book is an introduction to organic chemistry and its compounds as related to plants. Chemistry tends to be seen as a field that is hard to comprehend and that has few connections with the living world. This book fills a gap as it eases access to organic chemistry by connecting it with plants and includes numerous photos and other illustrations. The book is a combination of organic chemistry with the living world of plants and is an introduction to organic plant compounds for the non-chemist. It starts with a review of basic concepts of chemistry as they relate to plant life, followed by an introduction to structures of organic compounds, which prepares the reader for the following chapters on primary metabolites and on plant fragrances, pigments, and plant defensive compounds. The final chapter relates plant compounds to human life, with subchapters on foods from plants, medicines, psychoactives, fibers, and dyes. Historic discoveries of plant compounds and their developments to contemporary uses, like modern pharmaceuticals, and a section on genetically modified plants, connect with topics of recent interest. The book leads the serious reader from chemistry basics to complex plant substances and their human uses and plant photos and stories accompany chemistry topics and chemical structures to aid understanding. The author, an organic chemist and plant enthusiast, has taught popular undergraduate college level courses on plant chemistry to non-chemistry majors and numerous field seminars to the general public for more than fifteen years. The book's topics and contents have been taught for many years and have proved successful in providing an understanding of plant compounds, organic compounds, and their importance. The book provides a basis for a better understanding of chemistry and its connections to the world of plants, the natural world in general, and to daily life. It is aimed at non-chemistry undergraduate students and to people in general who are interested in plants and who would like to learn more about them. It addresses an audience with little previous chemistry knowledge, yet, leads the serious reader to an understanding of sometimes complex plant compounds, by providing an introduction to chemistry basics, combining the chemistry with pictures and stories, and using simple, clear language. The book can be used both as a text to introduce organic chemistry as it relates to plants and as a text of reference for more advanced readers.

Robin and N*I*N have created a book on resins for novices and professionals alike. The descriptions of the individual resins are informative and engaging. Robin weaves together interesting historical and cultural facts while demystifying these aromatic treasures, so a wider range of interested readers can experience Frankincense, Myrrh, and other aromatic resins. She clearly outlines their many effective medicinal uses and spiritual properties. Robin's recipes and herbal preparations are the highlights of this book. There are simple step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow, so anyone can experience the health and spiritual benefits of these resins. N*I*N has taken Robin's fascinating material and put it into a visually beautiful and easy to understand form. This book is unique. In one resource, it covers the history, explains the medicinal uses, and presents delicious recipes for many of these mystical tree resins. If you have ever been curious about mythic aromatic Frankincense and Myrrh, and how to use them to enhance your spirituality, your relaxation and your health, this book is for you.

The legacy of Leo Hendrik Baekeland and his development of phenol formal- hyde resins are recognized as the cornerstone of the Plastics Industry in the early twentieth century, and phenolic resins continue to ?ourish after a century of robust growth. On July 13, 1907, Baekeland ?led his “heat and pressure” patent related to the processing of phenol formaldehyde resins and identi?ed their unique utility in a plethora of applications. The year 2010 marks the Centennial Year of the prod- tion of phenolic resins by Leo Baekeland. In 1910, Baekeland formed Bakelite GmbH and launched the manufacture of phenolic resins in Erkner in May 1910. In October 1910, General Bakelite began producing resins in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Lastly, Baekeland collaborated with Dr. Takamine to manufacture phenolic resins in Japan in 1911. These events were instrumental in establishing the Plastics Industry and in tracing the identity to the brilliance of Dr. Leo Baekeland. Phenolic resins remain as a versatile resin system featuring either a stable, thermoplastic novolak composition that cures with a latent source of formaldehyde (hexa) or a heat reactive and perishable resole composition that cures thermally or under acidic or special basic conditions. Phenolic resins are a very large volume resin system with a worldwide volume in excess of 5 million tons/year, and its growth is related to the gross national product (GNP) growth rate globally.