Lac is the scarlet resinous secretion of the insect Laccifer lacca. Laccifer lacca belongs to the family of scale insects and mealy bugs Coccoidea a large family of plant sucking insects. Thousands of these tiny insects colonize branches of suitable host trees and secrete the resinous pigment. The coated branches of the host trees are cut and harvested as sticklac. Orders See taxonomy Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species — more than all other animal groups combined [1]. Insects may be found in nearly all environments on the planet, although only a... Families Aclerdidae Asterolecaniidae Beesoniidae Carayonemidae Cerococcidae Coccidae Conchaspididae Dactylopiidae Diaspididae Electrococcidae Eriococcidae Grimaldiellidae Halimococcidae Inkaidae Jersicoccidae Kermesidae Kerriidae Kukaspididae Labiococcidae Lecanodiaspididae Margarodidae Micrococcidae Ortheziidae Phenacoleachiidae Phoenicococcidae Pseudococcidae Putoidae Stictococcidae The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, notable for their habit of secreting a waxy covering that covers... Mealybug is the common name of insects in Pseudococcidae, a family of unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm climates. ... Families Aclerdidae Asterolecaniidae Beesoniidae Carayonemidae Cerococcidae Coccidae Conchaspididae Dactylopiidae Diaspididae Electrococcidae Eriococcidae Grimaldiellidae Halimococcidae Inkaidae Jersicoccidae Kermesidae Kerriidae Kukaspididae Labiococcidae Lecanodiaspididae Margarodidae Micrococcidae Ortheziidae Phenacoleachiidae Phoenicococcidae Pseudococcidae Putoidae Stictococcidae The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, notable for their habit of secreting a waxy covering that covers...

The harvested sticklac is crushed and sieved to remove impurities. The sieved material is then repeatedly washed to remove insect parts and other soluble material. The resulting product is known as seedlac. The prefix seed refers to its pellet shape. It is used in violin and other varnish and is soluble in alcohol. This type of shellac was used in the finishing of 18th century fowling guns in the US. Seedlac which still contains 3-5% impurities is processed into shellac by heat treatment or solvent extraction. The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... Varnish is a transparent, hard, protective finish or film primarily used in wood finishing but also for other materials. ... Functional group of an alcohol molecule. ... Look up shellac in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In chemistry, liquid-liquid extraction (or more briefly, solvent extraction) is a useful method to separate components (compounds) of a mixture. ...

Lac production is found in Assam and other parts of North-East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and parts of China. Assam   (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur - now a part of Guwahati. ... The Himalayas in Sikkim North-East India is the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States and the state of Sikkim. ...

Host trees

Laccifer lacca can be cultivated on either cultivated or wild host trees.

• In India the most common host trees are
  • Dhak (Butea monosperma)
  • Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana)
  • Kusum (Schleichera oleosa)
• In Thailand the most common host trees are
  • Rain tree (Samanea saman)
  • Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan)
• In China the common host trees include
  • Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan)
  • Hibiscus species

Species See text. ... Binomial name Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. ... Binomial name Samanea saman (Jacq. ... Binomial name Samanea saman (Jacq. ... Binomial name Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. ...

Uses

The use of lac dye goes back to ancient times. It has been used in India as a skin cosmetic and dye for wool and silk. In China it is a traditional dye for leather goods. The use of lac for dye has been supplanted by synthetic dyes. It is used in medicine as hepatoprotective and antiobesity drug. Yarn drying after being dyed in the early American tradition, at Conner Prairie living history museum. ...

It has a mention in the ancient Vedic book called the Manusmrti, or the 'Laws of Manu'. This book is the source of all the laws regarding caste in India. It lays down who can eat with whom, who can marry whom, who can touch whom; and it also lays down how those who infringe those laws should be punished. Thus, for example, it is decreed: "XII. 4. If the shudra [a member of the labouring caste, or an Untouchable] intentionally listens for committing to memory the Veda, then his ears should be filled with molten lead and lac; if he utters the Veda, then his tongue should be cut off; if he has mastered the Veda his body should be cut to pieces."

Shellac (the refined form of lac) is used in several industrial applications

• surface coatings
• textiles
• printing
• Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals
• Adhesives
• Electrical industry

Shellac was also used to manufacture 78 rpm phonograph records from 1897 until the 1950s, when vinyl plastic, being much more durable, was used instead. Manufacturers put records inside protective and decorative cardboard jackets and an inner paper sleeve to protect the grooves from dust and scratches. ... Chemical structure of the vinyl functional group. ...

References

• http://www.szgdocent.org/resource/ff/f-arth3a.htm
• http://www.beadnshop.com/lac-kashmiri-beads/ Beads and other products produced with the help of lac. Manufacturing process and information on site.