A dark, complex hydrocarbon found in crude oil and asphalt that does not dissolve in light petroleum solvents but does dissolve in heavier solvents.
From 'asphalt' + chemical suffix '-ene' (indicating hydrocarbon compounds). Asphaltenes are complex molecules that scientists identified when studying the chemical composition of crude oil and asphalt deposits.
Asphaltenes are the 'stubborn' part of oil—they're so heavy and complex that they cause problems in oil refineries and pipelines by clogging them up, which is why petroleum engineers spend billions trying to manage them.
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