Everything about Canada Balsam totally explained
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).
It is the fir's resin, dissolved in
essential oils, and is a
viscous, sticky, colourless (sometimes yellowish) liquid, that turns to a transparent yellowish mass when the essential oils have been allowed to evaporate.
Due to its high optical quality, its
refractive index (
n = 1.55, very close to that of
glass), and its purity it's mainly used in
optics as an invisible-when-dry
glue for glass. It is soluble in
xylene,
amorphous when dried, and it doesn't crystallize with age, so its optical properties don't deteriorate.
Some uses include:
- in biology to conserve microscopic samples. The sample is sandwiched between a microscope slide and a coverslip and Canada balsam is used to glue the arrangement together and enclose the sample to conserve it;
- in optical technology to glue together optical elements such as two prisms to form a beam splitter, or two lenses;
- to fix scratches in glass (car glass for instance) as invisibly as possible.
- in oil painting to achieve glow and facilitate fusion.
Canada balsam is sometimes incorrectly called
Balm of Gilead. The true balsam is a fir tree;
Balm of Gilead is a type of poplar.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Canada Balsam'.
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