bitumen

bitumen (bĭty`mən) a generic term referring to flammable, brown or black mixtures of tarlike hydrocarbons, derived naturally or by distillation from petroleum. It can be in the form of a viscous oil to a brittle solid, including asphalt, tars, and natural mineral waxes. Substances containing bitumens are called bituminous, e.g., bituminous coal, tar, or pitch.

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bitumen

Mixture of tarlike hydrocarbons derived from petroleum. Black or brown, it varies from viscous to solid; the solid form is usually called asphalt. Bitumen occurs in nearly every part of the world and in nearly the whole range of geologic strata. The term may also refer to synthetic hydrocarbon compounds.

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bitumen

1. any of various viscous or solid impure mixtures of hydrocarbons that occur naturally in asphalt, tar, mineral waxes, etc.: used as a road surfacing and roofing material

2. the constituents of coal that can be extracted by an organic solvent

3. any liquid suitable for coating aggregates

4. the bitumen

a. Austral and NZ informal any road with a bitumen surface

b. Austral informal the road in the Northern Territory between Darwin and Alice Springs

5. a transparent brown pigment or glaze made from asphalt

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bitumen [bī′tü·mən]

(materials)

Naturally occurring or pyrolytically obtained substances of dark to black color consisting almost entirely of carbon and hydrogen, with very little oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur.

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bitumen

A semisolid mixture of complex hydrocarbons derived from coal or petroleum, as coal-tar pitch or asphalt; before application, usually dissolved in a solvent, emulsified, or heated to a liquid state.