Resin acid refers to mixtures of several related carboxylic acids, primarily abietic acid, found in tree resins.  Nearly all resin acids have the same basic skeleton: three fused rings having the empirical formula CHCOOH.  Resin acids are tacky, yellowish gums that are water-insoluble.  They are used to produce soaps for diverse applications, but their use is being displaced increasingly by synthetic acids such as 2-ethylhexanoic acid or petroleum-derived naphthenic acids.