Re: Can you speed up process by which sap becomes amber

Tree sap is often thought to be transformed to amber, but amber is 
polymerized resin, which is an entirely different substance. Resin is semi-
solid, whereas sap is liquid. Resin is exuded by a tree in response to 
injury or disease.

Because resin must be polymerized to become amber the process takes tens of 
millions of years in nature.  Polymerization is the process whereby small 
molecules combine to become large ones.  In modern manufacturing, catalysts 
are used to speed up natural polymerization reactions.  Processes that 
would naturally take years can be done in minutes if the proper catalysts 
can be found.  Catalysts are chemicals that participate in a transformative 
chemical process but are not themselves transformed.  Unfortunately, no 
process for rapidly converting resin to amber using catalysts has yet been 
discovered.

Much of the information presented here, and quite a bit of additional 
information about amber, can be found on the following web page:

Reference 
 http://clearlyexplained.com/nature/earth/minerals/amber.html

David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Geological Survey of Alabama
Box 869999
Tuscaloosa, AL 35486-6999