Some Possibilities of Thin Layer Chromatographic Analysis of the Molecular Phase of Baltic Amber and Other Natural Resins

TLC has been used for comparative investigation of the group composition of ethanol extracts obtained from natural resins of different origin and geological age. The main object of the analysis was an extract of Baltic amber from the tertiary period. An extract of an older (cretaceous period) fossil resin from Spain was also analysed, as also were several contemporary resinous substances (Canada balsam, pine resin, and dammar resin). A variety of visualisation reagents was used both for general detection and for detection of characteristic groups of compounds, for example terpenes, unsaturated compounds, and carboxylic acids. The characteristics of the chromatograms obtained suggest that TLC has potential as an auxiliary tool for classification of natural resins and, especially important, fossil resins.