A unique specimen of fossil resin originating from the Dipterocarpaceae tree family found in Miocene brown coal deposits in Jambi Province (Sumatra, Indonesia) was investigated via microscopic observations, microhardness testing and infrared and Raman spectroscopic methods. Its form is rare in nature, being an aggregate of three varieties of resin differing in colour, transparency and internal structure. This suggests the formation of the resins at different stages. Further alteration processes, including fossilization and maturation of the resin in a swamp environment resulted in stepwise aromatization of the cyclohexane ring in steroids and cross-linking through formation of ester bonds as well as carbon-carbon bonds between steroid molecules. The various environmental and geological conditions affecting the formation processes of the resins were recorded in their physico-chemical properties. Additionally, heating conditions accelerated by volcanism were proposed as a factor determining the maturation grade of the resin.

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Among the more prevalent chiral monoterpenoid compounds in conifers are α‐pinene, β‐pinene, and smaller amounts of camphene and limonene. The most prevalent chiral monoterpenoid compounds in fossilized resin (referred to as amber in this paper) appear to be borneol, isoborneol, and camphene. Most of these compounds have easily measured enantiomeric excesses. The borneol and isoborneol in some amber samples have pronounced enantiomeric excesses despite the fact that they are tens of millions of years old. The enantiomeric ratios of the monoterpenoids in different ambers vary tremendously and often are distinct. However, in any single amber sample, the stereochemistry (absolute configuration) of the excess monoterpenoid enantiomers appears to be identical. The camphene in amber may be a secondary reaction product formed over time, possibly from the dehydration of borneol. Although a compound's original stereochemistry can be preserved, it also may diminish with the number and type of chemical transformations over geological time. The monoterpene enantiomeric ratios in modern conifer resins vary tremendously. Future stereochemical studies are outlined that could provide the data necessary for more exact geochemical interpretations and possibly for obtaining pertinent paleobiological information. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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