This document discusses resins, their classification, isolation, and asafoetida as an example. It defines resins as complex mixtures found in plant exudations. Resins are classified as acid, ester, or alcohol resins based on their constituents. They are isolated from plants through extraction, distillation, or collection of exudates. Asafoetida is a gum resin obtained from Ferula species through incisions and collection of the exudate. It has a strong, penetrating odor and is used as a carminative and nervine stimulant to treat intestinal flatulence.

1. RESINS AND RESIN
COMBINATIONS
MRS.REKHAAMIT BHALERAO
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY
PES MODERN COLLEGE OF PHARMACY, FOR LADIES

2. RESINS
Resins are amorphous products of complex chemical
nature. These are mixtures of essential oils, oxygenated
products of terpene and carboxylic acids found as
exudations from the trunk of various trees. They are
transparent or translucent solids, semi-solids or liquid
substances containing large number of carbon atoms. Most
of the resins are heavier than water. They are insoluble in
water, but soluble in alcohol, volatile oils, fixed oils, chloral
hydrate and non-polar organic solvents like benzene or
ether. They are hard, electrically non-conductive and
combustible masses. When heated, they soften and
ultimately melt. They are usually formed in schizogenous
or schizolysigenous cavities or ducts as end products of
metabolism. Chemically, they contain organic acids,
alcohols, esters, and neutral resins. Depending upon the
type of the constituents of the resin, they are further
classified as: (a) Acid resin, (b) Ester resin, and (c) Resin
alcohols.

3. RESINS
Acid resins: Following are few examples of this type
of resins alongwith their acids; colophony (abietic
acid}, safetid (sandracolic acid), copaiba (copaivic
and oxycopaivic acids), myrrh (commiphoric acid)
and shellac (alleuritic acid).
Ester Resin: This group contains esters as the chief
constituents of the resins, e.g. benzoin and storax.
contains coniferyl benzoate and storax contains
cinnamyl cinnarnate.
Resin Alcohol: The contents are the complex
alcohols of high molecular weight. They are either
found in free or as esters. The examples are balsam
of peru with peruresinotannol, gurjan balsam with
and guaiacum resin with guaic-resinol.

4. RESINS
Resins and oils in homogenous mixtures are called as
oleoresins, e.g. copaiba, Canada balsam, capsicum,
etc. Oleo-gum resins are the homogenous mixtures
of volatile oil, gum and resin, eg. Myrrh, guggul and
safetida. Glycoresins are made acid up and of resins
or sugars are present in jalap and ipomoea. If resin
contains benzoic acid and or cinnamic, it is are
called as a balsam, e.g. balsam of tolu, storax, balsam
of peru, etc.
Resenes: These are the complex natural substances
without any specific chemical properties. They are
inert chemically. They neither form any salt nor do
they hydrolysed. Examples of the drug containing
resenes are the gum copal, gutta purcha, asafoetida,
colophony and dammar.

5. ISOLATION OF RESINS
pharmaceutical resins are obtained from the
plants and animals by one of the following
medhods.
By extraction with alcohol and precipitation
with water, e.g. jalap, podophyllum, ipomoea, etc.
By distillation for separation of oil, e.g. copaiba,
colophony, etc.
By heating the plant part, e.g. guaiacum.
As plant exudates by incisions, e.g. myrrh,
safetida, balsams, etc.
By collecting fossil resins, e.g. copal, kauri, etc.
By processing the encrustations i.e. shellac.

6. ASAEOETIDA
 Synonym: Gum Asafoetida, Devil's dung.
 Biological Source:
 Asafoetida is the oleo-gum resin obtained by
incision from the rhizomes and roots of Ferula
foetida Ferula rubricaulis Regel, Regel and other
species of Ferula, belonging to family Umbelliferae.
 Geographical Source
 It is a genus of perennial herbs distributed from
Mediterranean region to Central Asia, specifically
Iran and Afghanistan. Three species of Ferula are
found in India. Ferula narthex occurs in Kashmir.

7. COLLECTION AND PREPARATION FOR THE MARKET
 In Afghanistan, the resin is obtained from carrot shaped
massive roots and rhizomes of the plants which are about
4 5 years of age and 12 - 15 cm in diameter. In the month
of March-April, just before the flowering season of the
plant, the upper part of the roots, very close to the crown,
is cut off. The milky juice oozes out of the cut surface and
starts coagulating.
 This cut surface is covered dome-shaped device made up
of leaves and the branches to avoid the contamination
with sand and foreign organic matter. After few days, the
coagulated matter is scrapped off and the fresh cuts are
given to collect more exudate. This is continued for about
three months or until the plants cease to produce latex.
On average, plant yields about 1kg of the oleo-gum resin.
After collection it is dried thoroughly and packed in
suitable containers.

8. DESCRIPTION
 Colour- Yellowish-white changing to reddish-
brown
 Odour - Intense, persistent, penetrating and
alliaceous
 Taste Bitter, alliaceous and acid
 Size The tears are 0.5 - 3 cm in diameter
 Shape- It occurs in 2 different forms i.e. tears
and masses. Tears are rounded or flattened.

9. EXTRA FEATURES:
Fresh tears are tough but when dried Mass
they of become hard is and brittle. Tears are
internally milky whitish-yellow, translucent or
opaque. Mass of asafoetida is agglutinated
and mixed with root fragment, foreign
material and other impurities.

10. CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS:
Asafoetida contains
resin (40 - 65 per cent),
gum (20 - 25 per cent), and
volatile oil (4 - 20 per cent).
The resin of the drug consists chiefly as a resinotannol in
the free or combined form with ferulic acid. Free
umbelliferone is absent in the drug (distinction from
galbanum). Ferulic acid on treatment with hydrochloric acid
is converted into umbellic acid, which looses water to form
umbelliferone.
Oil of asafoetida is obtained by steam distillation of the
oleo-gum resin. The chief constituents of the oil are
secondary butyl propanyl disulphide. Other constituents of
oil are di and trisulphides, pinene and other terpenes. The
specific odour of the drug is due to sulphur compounds of
the formulae C7H14S2, C16H20S2, C10H18S2.

11. IDENTIFICATION
 Fractured surface of the drug, if treated with sulphuric
acid forms red or reddish-brown colour.
 When treated with 50 per cent nitric acid, the drug gives
green colour.
 When triturated with water, it forms the yellowish-orange
emulsion.
 Triturate about 0.5 g of the drug with sand and 5 ml of
hydrochloric acid. To it, add little quantity of water, filter
and to the filtrate add equal volume of ammonia. A blue
fluorescence is produced due to presence of
umbelliferone.
 Galbanum, an oleo-gum resin obtained from Ferula
galbaniflua, is an allied drug to asafoetida Galbanum
contains free umbelliferone.

12. USES:
 Carminative
 Nervine stimulant
 Intestinal flatulence
 Flavouring agent for curries, sauces and pickles.

13. THANK YOU