Canada balsam
Encyclopedia
Canada balsam, also called Canada turpentine or balsam of fir, is a turpentine
which is made from the resin
of the balsam fir tree (Abies balsamea) of boreal
North America
. The resin, dissolved in essential oil
s, is a viscous
, sticky, colourless or yellowish liquid that turns to a transparent yellowish mass when the essential oils have been allowed to evaporate.
Canada balsam is amorphous
when dried. Since it does not crystallize with age, its optical properties do not deteriorate. However, it has poor thermal and solvent resistance.
to that of crown glass
(n = 1.55), purified and filtered Canada balsam was traditionally used in optics
as an invisible-when-dry glue
for glass, such as lens elements. Lenses glued with Canada balsam (or with other similar glues) are called cemented lenses. Also, other optical elements can be cemented with Canada balsam, such as two prism
s bonded to form a beam splitter
. Balsam was phased out as an optical adhesive during World War II, in favour of polyester
, epoxy
, and urethane
-based adhesives. In modern optical manufacturing, UV
-cured epoxies are often used to bond lens elements.
Canada balsam was also commonly used for making permanent microscope slide
s. In biology
, for example, it can be used to conserve microscopic
samples by sandwiching the sample between a microscope slide
and a glass coverslip, using Canada balsam to glue the arrangement together and enclose the sample to conserve it. Xylene balsam, Canada balsam dissolved in xylene
, is also used for preparing slide mounts. Some workers prefer terpene
resin for slide mounts as it is both less acidic and cheaper than balsam. Synthetic resins have largely replaced organic balsams for such applications.
Some other uses (traditional and current) include:
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
which is made from the resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
of the balsam fir tree (Abies balsamea) of boreal
Boreal
Boreal may refer to*Boreal ecosystem**Boreal climate, the climate found in a region of boreal forests, and designated Dfc, Dwc or Dsc in the Köppen climate classification scheme.*boreal forest*Boreal forest of Canada*Boreal Bluet...
North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The resin, dissolved in essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s, is a viscous
Viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...
, sticky, colourless or yellowish liquid that turns to a transparent yellowish mass when the essential oils have been allowed to evaporate.
Canada balsam is amorphous
Amorphous solid
In condensed matter physics, an amorphous or non-crystalline solid is a solid that lacks the long-range order characteristic of a crystal....
when dried. Since it does not crystallize with age, its optical properties do not deteriorate. However, it has poor thermal and solvent resistance.
Uses
Due to its high optical quality and the similarity of its refractive indexRefractive index
In optics the refractive index or index of refraction of a substance or medium is a measure of the speed of light in that medium. It is expressed as a ratio of the speed of light in vacuum relative to that in the considered medium....
to that of crown glass
Crown glass (optics)
Crown glass is type of optical glass used in lenses and other optical components. It has relatively low refractive index and low dispersion...
(n = 1.55), purified and filtered Canada balsam was traditionally used in optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
as an invisible-when-dry glue
Adhesive
An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
for glass, such as lens elements. Lenses glued with Canada balsam (or with other similar glues) are called cemented lenses. Also, other optical elements can be cemented with Canada balsam, such as two prism
Prism (optics)
In optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. The exact angles between the surfaces depend on the application. The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular prism with a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in colloquial use...
s bonded to form a beam splitter
Beam splitter
A beam splitter is an optical device that splits a beam of light in two. It is the crucial part of most interferometers.In its most common form, a rectangle, it is made from two triangular glass prisms which are glued together at their base using Canada balsam...
. Balsam was phased out as an optical adhesive during World War II, in favour of polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
, epoxy
Epoxy
Epoxy, also known as polyepoxide, is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives....
, and urethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
-based adhesives. In modern optical manufacturing, UV
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
-cured epoxies are often used to bond lens elements.
Canada balsam was also commonly used for making permanent microscope slide
Microscope slide
A microscope slide is a thin flat piece of glass, typically 75 by 25 mm and about 1 mm thick, used to hold objects for examination under a microscope. Typically the object is placed or secured on the slide, and then both are inserted together in the microscope for viewing...
s. In biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, for example, it can be used to conserve microscopic
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
samples by sandwiching the sample between a microscope slide
Microscope slide
A microscope slide is a thin flat piece of glass, typically 75 by 25 mm and about 1 mm thick, used to hold objects for examination under a microscope. Typically the object is placed or secured on the slide, and then both are inserted together in the microscope for viewing...
and a glass coverslip, using Canada balsam to glue the arrangement together and enclose the sample to conserve it. Xylene balsam, Canada balsam dissolved in xylene
Xylene
Xylene encompasses three isomers of dimethylbenzene. The isomers are distinguished by the designations ortho- , meta- , and para- , which specify to which carbon atoms the two methyl groups are attached...
, is also used for preparing slide mounts. Some workers prefer terpene
Terpene
Terpenes are a large and diverse class of organic compounds, produced by a variety of plants, particularly conifers, though also by some insects such as termites or swallowtail butterflies, which emit terpenes from their osmeterium. They are often strong smelling and thus may have had a protective...
resin for slide mounts as it is both less acidic and cheaper than balsam. Synthetic resins have largely replaced organic balsams for such applications.
Some other uses (traditional and current) include:
- in geologyGeologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, it is used as a common thin sectionThin sectionIn optical mineralogy and petrography, a thin section is a laboratory preparation of a rock, mineral, soil, pottery, bones, or even metal sample for use with a polarizing petrographic microscope, electron microscope and electron microprobe. A thin sliver of rock is cut from the sample with a...
cement and glue, and is used for refractive index studies and tests, such as the Becke line testBecke line testThe Becke Line Test is a technique in optical mineralogy that helps determine the relative refractive index of two materials. It is done by lowering the stage of the petrographic microscope and observing which direction the light appears to 'move' toward. This movement will always go into the...
. - to fix scratches in glass (car glass for instance) as invisibly as possible.
- in oil painting, to achieve glow and facilitate fusion.
- in Buckley'sBuckley'sW.K. Buckley Limited is a Canadian corporation founded in 1920, by W.K. Buckley, that manufactures medicines for health problems such as the common cold. They also have children's medicine which are sold under the brand Jack & Jill. The company is located in Mississauga, Ontario.In 1978, after W.K....
cough syrup.
See also
- Balm of GileadBalm of GileadBalm of Gilead is a balm made from the resinous gum of the North American Balm of Gilead tree or from related species such as the balsam poplar , which is also sometimes called Balm of Gilead....
, a healing compound made from the resinous gum of various species of balsam poplar (Populus)Balsam poplarThe balsam poplars — also known as Populus sect. Tacamahaca — are a group of about 10 species of poplars, indigenous to North America and eastern Asia, distinguished by the balsam scent of their buds, the whitish undersides of their leaves, and the leaf petiole being round in cross-section...
.