Abstract
Amber is a fosssil resin originating from different types of conifers and certain flowering trees. It was formed worldwide at least 40 million years ago.
From the chemical point of view, amber is a high molecular weight cross-linked polymer, the product of esterification of the co-polymer of communal and communic acid with succinic acid, the latter being a degradation product of abietic acid (Rottländer, 1970). In addition to the polymeric material, amber is also composed of lower molecular weight volatile compounds (2–5%) including aromatic hydrocarbons (cymenes) and monoterpenes (borneol, camphor, fenchyl alcohol and fenchone).
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Neacsu, A. (2010). Amber in Romania. In: Evelpidou, N., Figueiredo, T., Mauro, F., Tecim, V., Vassilopoulos, A. (eds) Natural Heritage from East to West. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01577-9_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01577-9_8
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