Shellac
Also called shell-lacca.
The resin a lac insect secretes on trees in India and Thailand, dissolved in alcohol to make wood varnish, and the glaze on shiny sweets and pills.
Sources and notes
- The introductionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Other namesfrom sourceWikidataIts English label and aliases on Wikidata.
- Formula and weightcomputedPubChem
- 2D drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKit
Where you encounter it
A pure element or an engineered material, rather than an ingredient in a product. Shellac on our curated lists, and on the product labels we hold.
Every product and list we hold
Sources and notes
- Our curated lists and their amountsfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedEach amount is an editorial figure from our food and drink lists, not a measurement of any one product.
- The product labels and their strengthsfrom sourceDailyMed (FDA label)Each label lists the molecule as an ingredient, and an active ingredient at the strength shown.
- Ingredient listsfrom sourceWikidata
- How it gets therefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedEach mark is set by hand on our lists, never inferred; a label's ingredient is added by the maker. A row with no mark data says Not marked.
- The line abovefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedFrom the group the molecule belongs to.
Explore its structure
Choose a part to light it up.
A carbon carrying both a C=O and an O-H, written COOH. In water it gives up that hydrogen, which is what makes the molecule an acid.
From: standard chemistry.
An O-H on a carbon that is not part of an aromatic ring, the group that makes a molecule an alcohol. It both gives and accepts hydrogen bonds, which helps the molecule mix with water.
From: standard chemistry.
Rings joined where they share atoms, or a single ring standing alone. Atoms in a ring are held in place, so this part keeps its shape while chains around it can bend.
From: standard chemistry.
Sources and notes
- The drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKitThe page's one shipped drawing, with the chosen part lit in amber under it.
- The partscomputedFound by ruleEach part is found by a chemical pattern, never picked by hand atom by atom; its words say where they come from.
Properties and sources
Calculated by PubChem
- Molecular formula
- C30H50O11
- Molecular weight
- 586.7 g/mol
- Polar surface areatopological
- 213 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 8
- H-bond acceptors
- 11
- Rotatable bonds
- 17
- Complexity
- 773
Groups it belongs to
- Category
- Element & material
- Family
- Polymers
- Chemical groups
- Alcohols, Carboxylic Acids
- Product lists
- Paint and solvent
C[C@]1([C@H]2CC3(C1CC[C@H]3C(=O)O)[C@H](C=C2C(=O…85 charactersPubChem CID 6850749 · Wikidata Q429659 · InChIKey ZLGIYFNHBLSMPS-ATJNOEHPSA-N · Data refreshed
Questions
- What is Shellac?
- The resin a lac insect secretes on trees in India and Thailand, dissolved in alcohol to make wood varnish, and the glaze on shiny sweets and pills.
- Where is Shellac found?
- Shellac is in these product groups: paint and solvent. from source
- What kind of molecule is Shellac?
- Shellac has the formula C30H50O11 and a molecular weight of 586.7 g/mol. MoleculeFinder files it under polymers, in the element & material group. from sourcefrom sourcefrom sourcefrom source
- What else is Shellac called?
- Shellac is also called shell-lacca. from source
Sources and notes
- Calculated valuescomputedPubChemComputed from the structure, so no laboratory conditions apply; complexity is PubChem's own structural score.
- Data refreshedfrom sourceMoleculeFinder2026-11-09