asphaltene

American

[as-fawl-teen, -fal-] / æsˈfɔl tin, -ˈfæl- /

noun

Chemistry.

any of the constituents of a bitumen, as asphalt, that are insoluble in pentane, hexane, or naphthalene.

First recorded in 1830–40; asphalt + -ene

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023