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 Its use has been largely superseded by warm- or cold-setting epoxy resins which combine low viscosity (about 100 centipoise) with high shear strength (about 11.7 × 10⁶ Pa), good adhesion, and a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 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 Its use has been largely superseded by warm- or cold-setting epoxy resins which combine low viscosity (about 100 centipoise) with high shear strength (about 11.7 × 10⁶ Pa), good adhesion, and a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 distilled from the bark of Abies balsamea (balsam fir) and other N. American Abies species.

Canada balsam A yellow-tinted resin used for mounting specimens in optical microscopy. It has similar optical properties to glass.