Copal

Copal, a resinous substance used for a variety of purposes in the arts. It appears in commerce in smooth rounded masses, colourless or lemon-yellow, translucent or transparent, rather brittle, and in a cold state, almost without smell or taste. It is readily fusible and inflammable, is insoluble in water, and only partially soluble in alcohol and oil of turpentine, but becomes entirely soluble in them when it has been for a short time melted. Various useful pale-yellow or almost colourless varnishes and lacquers are made by dissolving melted copal in alcohol, oil of turpentine, or boiled linseed-oil. The chief sources of copal are the East Indies, Africa, and South America, but the varieties derived from these countries differ in their origin. The East Indian is the exudation of a large tree, Vateria Indica, and possibly also of different species of Hymenea, which probably yield the Brazilian variety. Zanzibar supplies most of the best copal. Gum Animé is the name applied to copal frequently found in rounded masses embedded in sandy soil.