Canada balsam, yellow, oily, resinous exudation obtained from the balsam fir. It is an oleoresin (see resin) with a pleasant odor but a biting taste. It is a turpentine rather than a true balsam. On standing, the essential oil in Canada balsam evaporates, leaving behind the resin as a hard, transparent varnish. Canada balsam is valued as an optical mounting cement, e.g., for lenses and microscope slides, since it yields, when dissolved in an equal volume of xylene, a noncrystallizing cement with a refractive index nearly equal to that of ordinary glass. It is used also in paints and polishes.
"Canada balsam." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. . Encyclopedia.com. 18 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Canada balsam resin A naturally occurring resin with optical qualities similar to those of glass, which is distilled from the bark of Abies balsamea (the balsam fir) and other North American Abies species. When heated to 160°C it becomes liquid and is used to cement specimens to glass microscope slides. Its use has been largely superseded by warm- or cold-setting epoxy resins which combine low viscosity (about 100 centipoise) with high shear strength (about 11.7 × 106 Pa), good adhesion, and a refractive index of 1.54.
"Canada balsam resin." A Dictionary of Ecology. . Encyclopedia.com. 18 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Canada balsam resin A naturally occurring resin, distilled from the bark of Abies balsomea (the balsam fir) and other N. American Abies species, which, when heated to 160°C, becomes liquid and is used to cement mineral or rock chips to glass slides as part of the process of preparing thin sections. Its use has been largely superseded by warm- or cold-setting epoxy resins which combine low viscosity (about 100 centipoise) with high shear strength (about 11.7 × 106 Pa), good adhesion, and a refractive index of 1.54.
"Canada balsam resin." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. . Encyclopedia.com. 18 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Canada balsam A yellow-tinted resin used for mounting specimens in optical microscopy. It has similar optical properties to glass.
"Canada balsam." A Dictionary of Biology. . Encyclopedia.com. 18 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Canada balsam Resin distilled from the bark of Abies balsamea (balsam fir) and other N. American Abies species.
"Canada balsam." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. . Encyclopedia.com. 18 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.